Karnal, November 5
Launching a blistering attack on the Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday demanded greater transparency from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, asserting that the public deserved to know the details of his overseas visits, particularly his recent trip to Vietnam.
Addressing a BJP rally in Karnal, Shah questioned Gandhi over the purpose of his Vietnam visit, the duration of his stay and the people he met during the trip. He argued that since Rahul Gandhi occupies a constitutional position as Leader of the Opposition, he owes an explanation to the country regarding his foreign engagements. “The people have a right to know where you travel, whom you meet and for what purpose,” Shah remarked, urging the Congress leader to place the details of all his foreign visits in the public domain.
The Home Minister also renewed the BJP’s offensive against the Congress over its repeated criticism of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Taking a dig at the party’s stand, Shah questioned why Congress legislators had no hesitation in taking oath after winning elections through the same EVMs in states where the party secured victories. Referring to Congress-ruled states such as Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, he accused the party of adopting a selective approach towards the electoral process.
Escalating his attack, Shah said the Congress leadership was unwilling to accept political realities and invoked a popular Hindi saying to suggest that the party was finding excuses for its electoral setbacks. He contended that the electorate had repeatedly rejected Rahul Gandhi’s politics and that the Congress must acknowledge this fact instead of questioning institutions whenever results do not favour it.
Shah also challenged Rahul Gandhi’s repeated calls for a debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dismissing the demand, he said Gandhi should first engage in a public debate with a BJP Yuva Morcha leader in Haryana before seeking a confrontation with the Prime Minister. According to Shah, the Congress leader appeared more interested in political theatre outside Parliament than engaging in substantive discussions within democratic institutions.
Turning his attention to Haryana politics, Shah accused the Congress of failing to effectively participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls despite being given an opportunity by the Election Commission to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs). He questioned what Congress representatives were doing while electoral rolls were being revised and alleged that the party was too preoccupied with internal rivalries to focus on organisational responsibilities.
In a sharp swipe at the Congress’s internal dynamics, Shah referred to the long-discussed differences between senior Haryana leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja, claiming that factional politics within the party had distracted its workers from their electoral duties. He alleged that Congress functionaries were more engrossed in internal power struggles than in connecting with voters.
The Home Minister also trained his guns on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, particularly over the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. Shah claimed that Punjab farmers continue to agitate over MSP-related concerns and advised Mann to draw lessons from the Haryana government under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. He praised Haryana’s procurement policies, asserting that farmers in the state had benefited from MSP support on a large number of crops.
Taking aim at the Congress over its electoral guarantees, Shah alleged that the party had failed to honour the commitments it made to voters in Himachal Pradesh. In contrast, he claimed that the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government in Haryana had largely been delivered upon.
Highlighting the Modi government’s welfare initiatives, Shah cited various socio-economic achievements claimed by the Centre. He said that crores of people had been lifted out of poverty, while large-scale welfare schemes had ensured free food grains, healthcare coverage, financial assistance to farmers, household tap water connections and sanitation facilities across the country. According to Shah, these initiatives reflected the BJP government’s commitment to inclusive development and welfare-oriented governance.
In his address, Shah sought to draw a contrast between what he described as the BJP’s record of delivery and the Congress’s alleged failures, positioning governance, welfare schemes and organisational strength as key issues ahead of future electoral battles.
