Election reforms debate: Lok Sabha erupts in chaos over HM Shah's remarks on petition against Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi, December 10 (IANS): The Lok Sabha descended into pandemonium on Wednesday during a heated debate on election reforms, as Home Minister Amit Shah referenced a recent Delhi court notice issued to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi over allegations of her name being fraudulently added to the electoral rolls three years before she acquired Indian citizenship in 1983.  

The controversy erupted when HM Shah, intervening in the ongoing discussion, highlighted the Court's order directing Gandhi and the Delhi Police to respond to a criminal revision petition. The Home Minister asserted that he had merely stated a factual development: "The Delhi court has indeed issued a notice to Sonia Gandhi on a petition alleging her name was included in the electoral rolls of New Delhi before she formally acquired Indian citizenship."

This remark, made to underscore the need for electoral integrity amid opposition criticisms of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as "vote chori," instantly triggered an uproar from Congress benches.

Congress General Secretary and MP KC Venugopal, invoking Rule 352 to protest, swiftly rose to counter, accusing the Home Minister of misleading Parliament and said “Sonia Gandhi has not even voted and that Rouse Avenue Court dismissed that case as there is no substance in that case. Sonia Gandhi not even voted… Can you prove it?” Venugopal challenged the Home Minister and called the statement “misleading, defamatory and diversionary tactics”.

He challenged the propriety of raising the issue on the House floor, arguing it distracted from the real debate on the subject. The Treasury benches hit back vehemently, with BJP MPs demanding proof from Congress that Gandhi had not voted prior to 1983, while insisting the matter was of public importance, warranting discussion.

"This is not defamation; I am not saying the matter has been concluded, the court has sent the notice and Mrs Gandhi has to answer it, after that I will come up again and inform. It's about transparency in voter lists, which the opposition members are demanding," HM Shah said.

The opposition, in turn, accused the NDA of weaponising old controversies to shield the actual answer on SIR, which they claim disproportionately deletes names of Dalits, tribals, and migrants.

Speaker Om Birla struggled to restore order as members from both sides traded barbs.

Earlier, HM Shah set the tone by lamenting the opposition's reluctance to engage constructively. "In the first two days of the Winter Session, the House was not in order, conveying to the common people that we do not want this discussion. BJP and NDA never shy away from debates," he said.

Addressing the SIR impasse, the Home Minister clarified two key reasons for initial resistance: "First, SIR is the Election Commission's responsibility; they operate independently, not under government instructions. When the opposition sought a broader discussion on electoral reforms, we agreed readily." HM Shah defended it as essential for "clean, credible elections," drawing parallels to successful implementations in Bihar.