Win elections, no SIR; lose, then vote chori: Scindia attacks Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia hit out at Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition over their "vote chori" allegations and protests against the Election Commission, saying political leaders must put "India first" rather than "kursi first." He also questioned Rahul's conduct during the protests and said there should be a process for political opposition.Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia defended SIR, saying electoral roll revisions were not new and had been carried out repeatedly over the past decades, including during Congress-led governments.New Delhi,Oct 7, 2026 22:46 ISTUnion Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has launched a sharp attack on the Opposition over its allegations of “vote chori” and criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying such claims surface when parties lose elections.Speaking exclusively to India Today, Scindia, once a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, cited Congress victories in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh to question its objections to SIR.“When you win Karnataka, there is no SIR and no vote chori. When you win Himachal, there is no SIR and no vote chori. But when you lose, there is vote chori and SIR,” Scindia said.Scindia defended SIR, saying electoral roll revisions were not new and had been carried out repeatedly over the past decades, including during Congress-led governments. “Shouldn't the people of the country have the right to have their ballots and their voting rights in a democracy are based on purification of the electoral rolls?” he asked.He said names had been both removed from and added to electoral rolls during previous revision exercises and argued that the process should be viewed in the context of ensuring accurate voter lists.'KURSI FIRST, NOT INDIA FIRST' Scindia also accused Opposition leaders of putting political interests ahead of national interest, while questioning their conduct during protests against the Election Commission.Asked whether he believed Opposition leaders were putting “kursi first” rather than “India first”, Scindia said, “I absolutely feel so.”“The first priority should be the country. Your chair is not the first priority,” he said.Scindia said the Opposition has every right to challenge the government and disagree with its decisions, but argued that there should be a process for political opposition.“Differences can happen, but there cannot be differences of heart,” he said.He also criticised Opposition leaders for their criticism of India while travelling abroad, asking whether such conduct could be considered part of a positive nation-building process.'I WAS TAKEN ABACK': SCINDIA ON PM'S WORKING STYLETurning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public life, Scindia said what stands out most about the Prime Minister is his ability to focus intensely on the person he is speaking to.Scindia said Modi's attention to detail, focus on both process and outcome, and ability to give people his “undivided attention” were among the qualities that had impressed him most.“When he spends time with you, 100 per cent of that time is spent with you,” Scindia said.He said this ability to remain completely focused on the person in front of him was difficult to find because people are often distracted by multiple tasks, phone calls and other commitments.“The ability to be able to concentrate in the moment with the person that you're with and give them your undivided attention,” Scindia said, describing it as an intangible quality.Scindia also recalled Modi's interaction with the GSMA board, comprising some of the world's biggest telecom operators. He said the Prime Minister discussed the future of the telecom sector without prepared notes or a prepared text.“For the Prime Minister to have that domain experience and the ability to be able to roll out what the future portends for that sector... I was taken aback,” Scindia said.He said Modi's approach was not limited to achieving an outcome but involved ensuring that the right process was followed.“Just getting the outcome but not following the right process, he is not satisfied with that. And following the right process but not getting the outcome, he is not satisfied with that either,” Scindia said.SCINDIA ON PM'S 'WORLD-CLASS' INDIA VISIONScindia said Modi's approach was to make India “best in class” and “world-class”, citing the expansion of roads, railways, airports, broadband and 5G connectivity.He said India's broadband user base had grown from around 60 million a decade ago to more than a billion, while 5G had reached 99 per cent of districts and 86 per cent of the population, according to figures cited by him.Scindia also highlighted the government's infrastructure push, including the expansion of national highways, airports and railway connectivity.He said India's next major step in railways would be the bullet train, linking it to the journey from the Shatabdi Express to Gatimaan and Vande Bharat trains.“Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in India not only being best in class, but he believes in India being world-class,” Scindia said.Scindia also spoke about his role as Union Minister for Development of the Northeast Region, saying the Modi government had changed its approach towards the region.He said the Northeast was being positioned as a gateway to Southeast Asia under the government's “Act East” approach.Scindia said the eight northeastern states were collectively recording annual state GDP growth of around 10-11 per cent over a three- to five-year period, compared with the global growth rate he cited at around 1.5-2 per cent.He said the region had also seen an expansion in airports and railway connectivity, with four northeastern states now connected by rail and the remaining four expected to get connectivity by the end of 2028.The minister said the government was seeking to make the Northeast an important part of India's growth story and its gateway to Southeast Asia.- Ends