Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly backed the Election Commission’s Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR), saying that infiltrators on India’s voter lists undermine the Constitution and the nation’s sovereignty. Speaking in New Delhi, he said only Indian citizens must have the right to decide the country’s leadership.
Shah drew a sharp line between refugees and infiltrators, explaining that Hindus fleeing Pakistan and Bangladesh are religious refugees, while those entering illegally for economic reasons are infiltrators. “Refugees come to India to save their religion. Infiltrators come for personal gain. If everyone is allowed to enter, India will become a dharamshala,” he said.
He reminded the audience that under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact, India was meant to offer refuge to persecuted Hindus, a promise fulfilled only under Prime Minister Modi through the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). “Just as much right I have on this soil, that much right the Hindus of Pakistan and Bangladesh have on it,” he declared.
Accusing opposition parties of opposing the SIR for vote-bank reasons, Shah said it is the Election Commission’s constitutional duty to clean voter lists. Citing census data, he noted that Hindu population fell from 84% in 1951 to 79% in 2011, while the Muslim population rose from 9.8% to 14.2%, attributing this to infiltration.
