'Stop blaming SIR for electoral routs, prepare for 2029 defeat': HM Amit Shah tears into Rahul Gandhi, Congress

New Delhi, October 13 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a no-holds-barred attack on Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Congress, dismissing their repeated allegations against the electoral process as an attempt to cover up a string of humiliating poll defeats.  Rubbing salt into the Opposition's wounds following the BJP's sweeping victory in Gujarat's civic elections, Shah challenged Gandhi to explain whether the Congress would blame the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for its latest electoral rout as well.In a blunt warning to the Congress leadership, he said: "2029 mein haar ka mann bana lein (Make up your mind to face defeat in 2029)", asserting that the people had seen through the party's alleged attempts to shield infiltrators under the pretext of opposing SIR.He questioned whether the Congress would blame the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for its crushing defeat in the Gujarat civic elections as well.Asking Gandhi to introspect rather than find excuses for repeated electoral setbacks, Shah said the people had seen through the Congress' attempt to use the SIR controversy to “protect infiltrators” and “undermine the electoral process”.Delivering a sharp political message to the Congress leadership, the Home Minister said: "The party should prepare itself for another massive defeat in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.""The BJP-led NDA would return to power with a thumping majority under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," he added.Taking a swipe at Gandhi over his protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Shah questioned the Opposition's continued attempts to attribute its electoral failures to the revision of voter lists (SIR).He pointed out that the current SIR exercise began only after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, whereas the Congress had been losing elections under Gandhi's leadership."Will Rahul Gandhi now say that the Congress lost Gujarat because of SIR?" Shah asked, questioning whether the party would continue to blame the electoral process for every defeat instead of examining its own political shortcomings.The Home Minister's attack came after the BJP registered a sweeping victory in Gujarat's civic elections, winning 38 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. The BJP also retained control of the Thara and Okha municipalities.Shah said the results reflected the continued confidence of Gujarat's voters in Prime Minister Modi's leadership. He highlighted that the BJP's vote share in the Gandhinagar civic body had increased by 10 percentage points.Taking a dig at the Congress' electoral record in Gujarat, he said the party last won the state in 1985 and had failed to regain its political footing even after 41 years.He also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party, claiming that its candidates forfeited their deposits on all 32 seats it contested in the Gujarat civic elections.Shah argued that the Congress' electoral setbacks were not confined to Gujarat and cited results from several states to underline what he described as the party's declining political relevance.Referring to bypolls in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry, he said the Congress failed to win even a single seat. In Assam's Nagaon, the BJP wrested the Lok Sabha seat from the Congress, while in West Bengal, the BJP registered a victory in Nandigram and wrested the Rejinagar seat from the opposition, he claimed.In Puducherry, he cited the victory of an All India NR Congress candidate backed by the NDA as another example of the ruling alliance's electoral momentum.Shah also highlighted the BJP's performance in Rajasthan's local body elections, claiming that the party won 90 per cent of the Municipal Corporation seats, 66 per cent of the Municipal Council seats, and 65 per cent of the Municipal Board seats.Referring to the Gram Samiti elections in Tripura, he said the NDA won around 4,000 of the total 4,600 seats. Particularly emphasising that these elections were conducted through ballot boxes, Shah took a swipe at those who question the credibility of the electoral process whenever they face defeat.He further said that the Congress had failed to win in Tripura for 30 years and in West Bengal for 56 years, questioning how the party could continue to attribute its electoral failures to the functioning of democratic institutions.Sharpening his attack on Gandhi, Shah said the BJP had consistently been winning elections since the Congress leader became the party's prominent face and Leader of the Opposition.He also dismissed Gandhi's efforts to bring Opposition parties together, saying that assembling workers from 14 political parties and gathering a crowd of 8,000 people did not automatically make someone the voice of the country."The voice of the country is in its villages, fields, forests and far-flung areas," Shah said, asserting that the Congress leadership had failed to understand the mood of ordinary voters.He also cited electoral defeats suffered by the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, arguing that the party's political narrative was increasingly disconnected from the people's mandate.On the SIR controversy, Shah alleged that the Congress was opposing the exercise not out of concern for genuine voters but to protect infiltrators. He claimed that the public had understood the party's political strategy and would reject such attempts.The Home Minister urged Gandhi and the Congress to undertake serious introspection instead of questioning constitutional institutions and blaming electoral processes for their repeated defeats.