Amit Shah offers special session debate on electoral rolls

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government was ready to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, and challenged Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition to take part in a debate. Shah made the remarks at the closing ceremony of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav in Raipur on November 3. Shah called on Parliament to function and said the government was prepared to discuss the revision, known as SIR. He also criticised opposition members for raising the matter at a mock Parliament event in Delhi. The reports do not establish that Congress formally requested a special session or that one has been scheduled. At a rally in Karnal, Haryana, on November 5, Shah again urged Gandhi to raise his concerns in Parliament rather than at street protests. He said the government would convene a special session if Congress made a formal request through constitutional procedures, according to one account of the remarks. Shah also told Gandhi to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about holding a discussion. The exchange followed Gandhi’s challenge to Modi for an open debate over allegations involving foreign backing, according to a report on...