The political exchange between the BJP-led government and the Congress intensified after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Kharge had questioned the legitimacy of the current political leadership and alleged that the government was undermining democratic processes through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He also called for fresh elections conducted through ballot papers.
Responding on X, Rijiju questioned whether Kharge’s remarks would also apply to elected representatives and governments led by Congress and its allies. He asked whether Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were “illegal MPs” and referred to several state governments while urging Kharge not to “insult the Constitution of India.”
The exchange comes amid a wider political dispute over the functioning of the Election Commission of India and the SIR exercise.
Reports have previously cited differences of opinion within the Election Commission over aspects of electoral administration, including voter registration, deletion of names from electoral rolls and technology-related systems. The Election Commission has maintained that such discussions are part of its normal institutional functioning and that decisions on the SIR schedule were taken unanimously.
Opposition parties have continued their campaign against the Election Commission and its handling of electoral-roll revision. Protests have been announced in several parts of the country, with the SIR exercise remaining a key point of contention.
The latest exchange between Rijiju and Kharge has added to the ongoing political debate over electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission.