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by IANS |
New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a fiery and impassioned intervention from BJP MP and acclaimed film actress Kangana Ranaut, who mounted a strong defence of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Speaking during the debate on electoral reforms on Wednesday, the Mandi MP dismissed opposition allegations of “vote chori” as baseless propaganda, arguing that the exercise was essential both to safeguard women’s dignity in the digital age and to cleanse electoral rolls of infiltrators and fraudulent entries.
Reflecting on her own experience in Parliament, Ranaut described the past year as deeply troubling. “Every day has been a spectacle; we have been intimidated, threatened, and subjected to relentless attacks from the opposition members. We come here to learn and contribute, but they rarely allow us to proceed,” she said.
Ranaut accused the opposition of deliberately disrupting parliamentary proceedings over SIR for the past year. “I expected a grand revelation from Rahul Gandhi, but once again, the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi spoke about the same foreign woman whose photo was allegedly used 22 times on voter IDs. That woman herself has clarified that she has never been to India. I apologise on behalf of this House to her,” she said.
The opposition benches trolled her, displayed her photographs, which is an attack on the dignity of a woman, she said, adding, “Every mahila, every woman, is entitled to her dignity.”
She went on to highlight the Modi government’s initiatives for women, invoking the Prime Minister’s flagship campaign 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' and numerous other schemes aimed at empowering women across the country.
Turning her attention to the opposition’s demand for paper ballots, Ranaut reminded the House of the infamous Indira Gandhi versus Rajnarayan case. “Indira Gandhi was caught in a scam and ordered to vacate her position overnight. Those who now harp on paper ballots seem to have forgotten history,” she remarked pointedly.
Defending the government’s record, Ranaut asserted that Prime Minister Modi was committed to uplifting the poor and farmers. “He is not hacking EVMs; he is hacking the hearts of the people,” she quipped, drawing applause from the Treasury benches.
Turning her attack directly on the Congress, Ranaut accused its leaders of hypocrisy. “Priyanka Gandhi ji, yes, people are sometimes at the mercy of others, but this country’s laws are not meant to protect political dynasties. Sonia Gandhi voted without citizenship papers -- that is on record since 1983. Is this democracy?” she asked sharply.
Pivoting to the core of the debate, Ranaut hailed SIR as a vital “cleaning process” for electoral integrity, citing Bihar’s example, where over 60 lakh entries were deleted. “Just like it happened in Bihar, our government has cancelled at least 60 lakh voters -- migrants or other questionable entries. Voter IDs were scrubbed, and turnout reached 67 per cent. This cleaning must be carried out nationwide,” she emphasised and said, “One nation, one election must be introduced in our country.”
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