Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Backs SIR, Targets Sonia Gandhi Memoir

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday defended the identification and removal of people who are not legally entitled to vote, while responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Speaking in Delhi, Naqvi argued that India could not ignore illegal immigration and said people found to be foreign nationals must be dealt with through established legal procedures.

His remarks come amid an intense confrontation between the BJP and opposition parties over the Election Commission’s nationwide electoral-roll revision.

Naqvi Says Due Process Needed for Illegal Immigrants

Naqvi said alleged illegal immigrants could not simply be removed without following proper procedures.

He said:

“There is a due process: they are identified, removed, and then deported.”

The BJP leader argued that people who are not Indian citizens should not remain on electoral rolls.

Indian law limits voting rights to Indian citizens. However, removal from an electoral roll does not by itself establish that a person is a foreign national or automatically trigger deportation. Nationality determination and deportation involve separate legal and administrative processes.

SIR Row Intensifies Between BJP and Opposition

The Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi SIR remarks come amid a wider political dispute over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise.

Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have alleged that large numbers of legitimate voters have been excluded during the revision.

The Election Commission says the exercise is intended to identify duplicate, deceased, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries while allowing eligible voters to file claims and seek restoration.

Thousands of opposition supporters gathered at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1 to protest the revision and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

BJP Leaders Raise ‘Infiltrator’ Issue

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has separately claimed that around three crore people who did not appear during the revision process were infiltrators.

However, Election Commission data described around 3.01 crore entries as absent or untraceable at the draft stage and did not classify all of those people as foreign nationals.

Shah has challenged Rahul Gandhi to debate SIR, EVMs and alleged illegal immigration in Parliament.

Naqvi Also Targets Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir

Naqvi also criticised Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi over her forthcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love.

He said he had hoped the book would contain an honest political account but instead characterised it as a record of what he viewed as Congress’s failures.

Those comments represent Naqvi’s political assessment of the memoir and Congress’s record.

‘Belonging’ Set for November 10 Release

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir is scheduled to be published on November 10, 2026.

The book traces her childhood in Italy, marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, her eventual entry into politics and her years leading the Congress.

Excerpts released ahead of publication have also covered her early experiences after arriving in India and adapting to Indian family life.

Memoir Previously Triggered Publisher Row

The book had already become politically contentious before publication.

Penguin Random House India and Gandhi’s representatives earlier failed to reach agreement over proposed editorial changes. HarperCollins India subsequently took over publication of the Indian edition.

Congress leaders alleged that political pressure had influenced the earlier publishing dispute, while Penguin denied external interference. BJP leaders, including Naqvi, questioned the contents of the book.

Electoral Revision Remains Politically Contested

The Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi SIR remarks underline the contrasting positions of the BJP and opposition parties over voter-list revision.

The BJP argues that the process is necessary to remove ineligible entries and protect electoral integrity.

Congress and its allies say the exercise risks excluding legitimate citizens and have demanded greater transparency and accountability from the Election Commission.

The competing claims remain part of an ongoing political and legal debate over electoral rolls, citizenship and voting rights.