Darbhanga, Bihar – Union Home Minister Amit Shah has strongly refuted allegations of electoral malpractice made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asserting that the government's actions are solely aimed at identifying and deporting illegal infiltrators, not targeting legitimate voters. Shah's comments came during a rally in Darbhanga, Bihar, on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, as political campaigning intensifies ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for November.
Shah accused Gandhi of spreading a false narrative and alleged that Gandhi's recent "Voter Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar was, in reality, a campaign to protect Bangladeshi infiltrators. "He carried out 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' as the infiltrators have been removed from the voter list. We are clear on this: no infiltrator should have the right to vote. They protect the infiltrators as they consider them a vote bank. Rahul, carry out as many Yatras, but the Modi government will throw out the infiltrators," Shah stated. He also took a dig at Gandhi's remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who Gandhi claimed had "nothing to do with Chhath Puja," and had taken a dip in his "swimming pool" rather than the River Yamuna in Delhi.
The Home Minister defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, emphasizing that its purpose is to ensure that only Indian citizens are included in the voter list. "People who could not provide evidence for their citizenship were removed from the voter list. They would have given proof if they were Indian citizens," Shah explained, adding that the low number of appeals against the removals indicates their legitimacy. He also said that including infiltrators in voter lists would 'pollute the spirit of the Constitution'.
Shah outlined the government's approach to dealing with infiltrators: "detect, delete, and deport". He clarified the distinction between refugees and infiltrators, stating that refugees come to India to seek refuge from religious persecution, while infiltrators enter the country illegally for economic or other reasons. "Those who have not faced religious persecution and want to come to India illegally for economic or other reasons are infiltrators," Shah said.
The Home Minister's remarks come amid heightened political activity in Bihar, with the BJP and Congress launching campaigns marked by sharp attacks. Shah referred to the NDA alliance in Bihar as ‘paanch paandav’ and said the upcoming elections will be a way of preventing the return of ‘jungle raj’ in the state. Shah also claimed that the Congress party has been involved in corruption worth ₹12 lakh crores. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the BJP is running the Bihar government "through remote control", using the face of CM Nitish Kumar. He also reiterated his allegations of 'vote theft' in Maharashtra and Haryana, and said that the BJP would "try to do the same in Bihar".
