'Almost ready to file missing person complaint': Priyank Kharge jibes at Amit Shah over SIR, CEC

Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Tuesday took a swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah, asking him to hold an open press conference on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, instead of relying on interviews with selected journalists. "Mota bhai, Amit Shah ji, we were almost ready to file a missing person complaint. Good to see you've finally resurfaced!" Kharge wrote in a post on X, challenging Shah to face unscripted questions on the contentious electoral roll revision exercise. Calling for an unrestricted interaction with the media, Kharge said, "Now, instead of hiding behind handpicked media that never ask you any questions, hold an OPEN press conference on SIR, the Election Commission and the CEC." Mota Bhai @AmitShah ji, we were almost ready to file a missing person complaint. Good to see you've finally resurfaced! Now, instead of hiding behind handpicked media that never ask you any questions, hold an OPEN press conference on SIR, the Election Commission and the CEC. We know the PM with the much advertised 56-inch chest hasn't found the courage to face an open press conference in 13 years. But if you're nursing ambitions of occupying his chair soon, here's your chance to prove you have something he doesn't........the courage to face questions. No scripted interviews. No handpicked journalists. No pre-approved questions. Just an open press conference. તમે શું કહો છો, મોટા ભાઈ? -- Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) October 13, 2026 The Congress leader also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his record of engaging with the media, saying the prime minister had not held an open press conference in 13 years. "We know the PM with the much advertised 56-inch chest hasn't found the courage to face an open press conference in 13 years," Kharge said. Taking aim at Shah's political ambitions, he added that if the home minister aspired to occupy the prime minister's chair, he should demonstrate the ability to face questions from journalists. "No scripted interviews. No handpicked journalists. No pre-approved questions. Just an open press conference," Kharge said, ending his post with a Gujarati-language jibe, "What do you say, big brother?" Kharge's remarks came hours after Shah challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition to prepare for another defeat in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, asserting that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would return to power with a decisive majority. Addressing reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday, Shah accused Gandhi of engaging in negative politics and questioned the Congress's attempts to attribute its electoral setbacks to the SIR exercise. "Is this the result of the SIR? The SIR started only after 2024," Shah said, asking Gandhi to introspect over the party's repeated election defeats. The home minister also alleged that Gandhi and his associates wanted infiltrators to be registered as voters, arguing that the public could see through what he described as the Opposition leader's political strategy. Shah cited the BJP's performance in recent by-elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, pointing out that the Congress had failed to win a seat in the contests. He also highlighted the BJP's gains in Gujarat's local body elections as evidence of continued public support for the party and Modi. The Congress mounted a broader counterattack, accusing Shah of undermining electoral credibility even as he predicted another victory for the BJP-led alliance. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the home minister had returned with his "3 Bs -- Bombast, Bluff and Bluster". In a post on X, Ramesh described Shah as a "co-architect of Vote Chori" and alleged that the home minister's prediction for the 2029 elections suggested that preparations to manipulate the electoral process had already begun. "The people know that the Constitutional right to vote is their biggest power to hold authoritarian governments built on lies -- like this one -- accountable and send them packing," Ramesh said, adding that people, particularly the youth, were taking to the streets. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal also questioned Shah's remarks, calling it ironic that the home minister was celebrating electoral victories when the Opposition's central concern was the integrity of the electoral system. "Mr Shah, you should certainly be worried about surviving in office till 2029," Venugopal said, alleging that the home minister's remarks reflected concern over the political situation. Congress leader Pawan Khera, meanwhile, argued that Shah's confidence about the NDA's prospects in 2029 reinforced the Opposition's allegations concerning the SIR exercise and the Election Commission. The electoral roll revision exercise has emerged as a major point of confrontation between the BJP and Opposition parties, with the Congress questioning the process and raising concerns about voter inclusion and exclusion. The BJP has, meanwhile, rejected the Opposition's allegations, while Shah has maintained that the Congress needs to examine its electoral performance instead of attributing defeats to the revision of electoral rolls.