Amit Shah Challenges Rahul Gandhi on SIR, EVMs at Hyderabad Roadshow

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to debate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and illegal immigration in Parliament, declaring that the Centre was ready to convene a special session to discuss the issues. Addressing a BJP rally in Hyderabad, Shah accused the Congress of questioning democratic institutions after electoral defeats and expressed confidence that the BJP would secure a two-thirds majority in Telangana in the next Assembly elections.

Before leading the rally titled 'Protect Democracy, Remove Anarchy', Shah visited the Bhagyalakshmi Temple near Charminar and offered prayers. Accompanied by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao, he led a 1.5-km padayatra from the Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram statue at Basheerbagh, opposite Nizam College, through Abids to Mozamjahi Market. Carrying the national flag, Shah addressed party workers and the public at the concluding point.

Questioning the Congress's criticism of EVMs, Shah pointed to its electoral victories in Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, arguing that the party could not question the credibility of voting machines selectively. He also mocked Rahul Gandhi's recent mock parliamentary session, suggesting that he could have been made Prime Minister at least in that exercise.

Defending SIR, Shah said duplicate entries and names of illegal immigrants must be removed from voter lists. Rejecting Rahul Gandhi's claim that 13 crore names had been deleted, he maintained that around 6.25 crore entries involved people who had shifted residences. He also alleged that illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis, figured in electoral rolls.

Taking aim at Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Shah alleged that an extortion mechanism called 'RR Tax', which he described as 'Rahul Tax', was operating in the State.

Following the roadshow, Shah also met veteran Telugu actor Chiranjeevi and his son, actor Ram Charan, during his Hyderabad visit. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy was also present during the interaction. The meeting reportedly touched upon concerns over the misuse of Artificial Intelligence and deepfake technology, particularly manipulated videos targeting film personalities. Chiranjeevi reportedly sought stronger safeguards against such misuse, with Shah assuring that the concerns would be examined.