Union Home Minister Amit Shah has found himself at the center of a heated national debate following his recent parliamentary defense of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s controversial “detect, delete and deport” policy targeting illegal immigrants on India’s electoral rolls. The controversy arrives as the government’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists sweeps across twelve states and Union territories, sparking fierce criticism from opposition leaders and raising concerns about the human cost of the initiative.
Shah’s declaration, delivered in parliament on December 10, 2025, came amid mounting reports of wrongful deportations of Bengali-speaking Indians to Bangladesh, as well as the deaths of several booth-level officers (BLOs) due to the immense pressure of the SIR’s accelerated timeline. According to The Wire, Shah did not address these deaths in his speech, instead focusing on what he described as the urgent need to prevent “illegal immigrants” from influencing Indian elections.
“Even if they [the opposition] oppose it 200 times, we won't allow illegal immigrants to vote in this country. It is the NDA's policy to detect, delete [from voter rolls] and deport. We will use a constitutional process to do this,” Shah asserted, as opposition lawmakers staged a dramatic walkout. He accused the opposition of attempting to “normalize illegal infiltrators and formalize them by adding them to the voter rolls,” warning, “This country has already been divided on the basis of population once, we don't want the next generations to see another partition. That is why we have to stop illegal infiltrators.”
Shah’s remarks highlighted the government’s focus on the 2,216-kilometer-long India-Bangladesh border, which he claimed has been fully fenced except for a 563-kilometer stretch in West Bengal. “Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir have been fenced; only West Bengal is left,” he said, pointedly criticizing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and warning them against aligning with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. “If they stay with Rahul Gandhi and conduct a ‘Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra’ [‘Save Infiltrators Procession’] like he did in Bihar and was wiped out, you too will see the same fate and the BJP's victory will be certain.”
While the TMC has accused the central government of failing to secure the border, Shah placed blame on local police and administration for not acting decisively. Despite the Election Commission (EC) providing no official figures regarding the number of foreigners found on Bihar’s voter rolls after the SIR, Shah insisted the state’s recent election results sent a clear message in support of the NDA’s tough stance. “Bihar has taken a great decision by not voting for Ghuspaithiyo Bachao Yatra and Bengal too is going to do this,” he said.
The parliamentary session was marked by a fiery exchange between Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi demanded answers regarding the new law granting “full immunity” to the chief election commissioner and challenged Shah to debate the issue openly. “I had asked a question yesterday. For the first time in India's history, a decision was taken that election commissioners will be given full immunity. He must tell us the thinking behind this,” Gandhi argued. Shah retorted that Gandhi could not dictate the sequence of his speech, and further accused the opposition of misleading the nation on the SIR process for months.
Shah also addressed concerns about the compressed SIR timeline—three months instead of the previous six—amid opposition worries about voter disenfranchisement and the EC’s mandate to test citizenship. Defending the EC’s independence, Shah stated, “There cannot be a discussion on SIR because it is the responsibility of the Election Commission, which does not work under the Union government. If questions are raised, who will answer?” He maintained that previous governments, including those led by Congress and the NDA, had conducted similar exercises since 1952.
One of the more contentious issues involved the EC’s directive to destroy CCTV, webcasting, and video footage of the election process within 45 days if results are not legally challenged. Shah argued, “CCTV footage of a polling booth is for internal management, not an admissible document. It cannot be stored for every polling booth across the country by the Election Commission. This is just a simple thing … They don’t understand … Sense can’t be injected.” He added, “The CCTV footage of a polling station is deleted after 45 days as per the directive. Why do they question it? Why don’t they ask for it before 45 days of voting?”
As the political storm continues in parliament, Shah is also preparing for a crucial series of visits to four election-bound states—Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala—beginning December 28, 2025. According to SocialNews.XYZ, the Home Minister will spend at least two days each month in these states until the elections, focusing on energizing party workers, strategizing with local leaders, and executing the BJP’s ‘Mera Booth Sabse Majboot’ plan, which aims to strengthen the party’s presence at every polling booth.
The BJP’s organizational apparatus is keen to replicate the NDA’s recent victory in Bihar, a win Shah attributes to a robust campaign that countered what he describes as a “misinformation campaign” by rival parties regarding the SIR and other key issues. Party sources told SocialNews.XYZ that Shah’s approach includes not only coordinating with NDA allies but also personally engaging with party rebels to prevent them from undermining the alliance’s voter share. In Bihar, Shah reportedly met with nearly 100 dissenters to address their grievances and keep the party united.
Shah’s upcoming tours will also serve as a platform to counter rival narratives on employment, socio-economic challenges, and the SIR exercise. As one party leader explained, “The Home Minister will hold organisational meetings and interact with party workers,” with a focus on “identifying the burning issues and preparing in advance to counter the rival parties' narratives.”
The opposition, meanwhile, maintains that the SIR risks disenfranchising legitimate voters and has called out the government for what they see as a lack of transparency and accountability in both the process and the aftermath. Concerns remain high over the deaths of BLOs and the potential for wrongful deportations, particularly among Bengali-speaking communities.
As the debate rages on, the government and opposition appear locked in a battle not only for control of the voter rolls, but also for the narrative that will shape the upcoming state elections. With Shah at the helm of the BJP’s campaign machine and the opposition refusing to back down, India’s electoral landscape is set for a period of intense scrutiny and high-stakes political maneuvering.
For now, the country watches as the rhetoric escalates and the groundwork is laid for a series of fiercely contested state elections—each side hoping to claim the mantle of true guardians of India’s democracy.
