Amit Shah Had 102 Degrees Fever During His 'Vote Theft' Counter In Parliament: Sources

Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a fiery response to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's vote theft charges in parliament yesterday. But what remained unknown is that the 61-year-old braved a high fever to lead the government's counter, said sources.

Shah ran a temperature of 102 degrees when he stood up to deliver his speech in Lok Sabha, they said. Doctors examined him just before the session and gave him medicines to reduce his fever, sources added.

The senior BJP leader turned up the heat on the opposition in parliament, countering every allegation in his one-and-a-half-hour speech, including those on vote theft, the Special Revision Inspection (SIR) and appointments to the Election Commission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday praised Shah for his "outstanding" speech, which he said presented "concrete facts" and "exposed the lies" over electoral reforms.

Gandhi had earlier alleged vote theft on multiple instances, branding it as a "hydrogen bomb", and even took out a rally ahead of the Bihar elections to push his allegations. He raised the issue again in parliament during the Winter Session.

Dared to hold a debate over the alleged irregularities in voters lists, Shah hit back, saying no one would dictate the order in which he would say things.

He also accused the opposition of "double standards," pointing out that they have been alleging irregularities in existing voter lists and objecting to the SIR at the same time.

"The voter lists are absolutely fine when you win, you wear new clothes and take oath. But when you fall flat, like in Bihar, you say there is a problem with the voter list... These double standards will not fly," he hit back.

Shah also maintained that the SIR should not be discussed in parliament but he went along with the opposition's demand to show they are "not running away from a debate". He revealed he also had a word with the Election Commission before the discussion in parliament, alleging that Gandhi's charges were not submitted to the poll body.