Congress rakes up EVM issue again after Trump’s comment
Party asks PM Modi to heed his “best friend” Trump’s message to “address the concerns of the whole nation about the integrity of” India’s electoral process
US President Donald Trump’s remarks at a governors’ meeting in his country have given the Congress a fresh opportunity to renew its attack on the NDA government over the alleged flaws of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and advocate a return to paper ballots.
The party on Saturday (February 22) asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to heed his “best friend” Trump’s advice to address the concerns of the entire country about the integrity of India’s electoral process.
Trump’s remarks
Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal, wondered why the ruling BJP was feigning ignorance about what the entire world is saying and why its government is running away from transparency.
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“Will PM Modi pay heed to his best friend Donald Trump’s message on ballot papers and same-day voting, and address the concerns of the whole nation about the integrity of our electoral process?” Venugopal wrote on X.
“I’m sure his best friend will also be appalled at the abnormal increase of lakhs of voters in Maharashtra, or the surgical deletions of opposition votes,” he said, citing Trump’s remarks at the governors’ meeting.
What Trump said
At the meeting, Trump was heard urging governors to switch to paper ballots and same-day voting, claiming that machines are expensive.
“It is tragic that the BJP is feigning ignorance to what is evident to the entire world, that the electoral system can be severely manipulated and their attitude of running away from transparency is only confirming our suspicions about their malpractices,” Venugopal said.
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The Congress has been demanding a return to the paper-ballot system for voting for quite some time, alleging that the results of electronic voting machines are doubtful, even as the Election Commission (EC) has been saying that no one has been able to prove anything wrong with EVMs.
The government has repeatedly told Parliament that there is no going back to the paper-ballot system.
(With agency inputs)