Hyderabad : Advisor to the Telangana Government and senior Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Tuesday challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to substantiate his claim that nearly three crore people identified during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were alleged infiltrators, mostly Bangladeshis. He demanded documentary evidence and questioned the BJP-led Central Government’s accountability for border security after controlling the Union Home Ministry for over 12 years.
Reacting to Amit Shah’s remarks, Shabbir Ali demanded that the Centre disclose how these individuals were identified as infiltrators, the supporting evidence and action taken against them. “If Amit Shah claims that three crore infiltrators were found on India’s electoral rolls, let him produce the evidence. Who are these people? How did they enter India, obtain identity documents and register themselves as voters? These questions cannot be answered through political speeches,” he said.
Shabbir Ali pointed out that the BJP had controlled the Union Home Ministry continuously since May 2014, first under Rajnath Singh (2014–2019) and subsequently under Amit Shah, who assumed charge in May 2019. He said the BJP could not evade responsibility for border security, intelligence and internal security after more than 12 years in power.”If these infiltrators entered during the BJP’s tenure, it represents a massive failure of the Centre’s security arrangements. If they entered before 2014, why were they not identified despite 12 years of BJP rule? Rajnath Singh headed the ministry for five years and Amit Shah for over seven years. What were the intelligence agencies and border security forces doing all these years?” he asked.
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Shabbir Ali also questioned the contradiction between Amit Shah’s claims and the Election Commission’s earlier statements. He recalled that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had failed to provide any specific figure for alleged infiltrators identified during the Bihar SIR, despite repeated questions from journalists. Moreover, a subsequent investigation reported that the Election Commission’s own software had no provision to classify deleted voters as foreign nationals. “When the Election Commission itself has not disclosed how many infiltrators were identified, on what basis is Amit Shah claiming that three crore infiltrators were removed? Has the Home Ministry conducted a separate investigation, or is the Home Minister presenting political allegations as established facts?” he asked.
The Congress leader said the BJP could not claim credit for strengthening national security while blaming opposition parties for alleged illegal immigration. Referring to Rohingya refugees and alleged Bangladeshi infiltration, he demanded a transparent Central policy. Anyone obtaining voting rights through forged documents should face legal action, but allegations must be supported by evidence, he said.
Shabbir Ali seeks answers on 10 crore voter deletions
Shabbir Ali said the more disturbing issue concerned nearly 10 crore other names reportedly deleted or excluded during the SIR exercise. BJP leaders had attributed these removals to deceased voters, shifted residents and duplicate registrations. However, he questioned whether adequate verification had preceded the exclusions. “Even if we accept Amit Shah’s claim about three crore infiltrators for argument’s sake, what happened to the remaining 10 crore voters? How many were personally contacted? How many were wrongly declared dead or shifted? How many genuine voters lost their names because of administrative mistakes?” he asked.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that living voters had been wrongly declared dead and removed from electoral rolls, Shabbir Ali demanded an independent examination of disputed deletions. He urged the Election Commission to publish booth-wise and constituency-wise data covering reasons for deletions, verification procedures, objections, corrections and pending appeals. The information should protect personal privacy while allowing affected citizens to verify their status and challenge wrongful exclusions.
“Removing duplicate entries and deleting genuine voters are entirely different matters. Electoral rolls must be accurate, but accuracy cannot become an excuse for disenfranchisement. Every eligible citizen has a democratic right to vote,” he said.
Shabbir Ali questioned why Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had not publicly addressed the opposition’s allegations of “vote chori” with detailed records. He demanded a transparent, time-bound mechanism to restore wrongly deleted names.
“Instead of conducting padayatras and delivering political speeches, Amit Shah should discharge his responsibility as Home Minister. He should stop acting like a spokesperson for the CEC. Let Gyanesh Kumar face the people and answer every allegation with documentary evidence. The country deserves to know whether genuine voters were denied their rights,” he said. Referring to Sunday’s INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, Shabbir Ali claimed the opposition’s campaign against electoral irregularities had unsettled the BJP leadership. He said subsequent mobilisation by Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and other leaders reflected the impact of Rahul Gandhi’s campaign.
“The BJP is responding to Ramlila Maidan with counter-rallies and accusations. But political mobilisation cannot substitute for accountability. Rahul Gandhi has raised serious questions about electoral integrity. The BJP and Election Commission must respond with evidence, not slogans,” he said. Reiterating the Congress demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Shabbir Ali said restoring public confidence required complete transparency and an independent examination of voter deletions.
“Democracy is protected by evidence and accountability, not selective statistics. Amit Shah must prove his allegation about three crore infiltrators and explain the remaining 10 crore names. The BJP has controlled the Home Ministry for over 12 years and cannot escape responsibility. If Amit Shah cannot produce credible evidence, he should stop making unsubstantiated claims and let the Election Commission answer the nation with facts,” Shabbir Ali said.
