New Delhi: Amit Shah has lambasted opposition parties, especially Congress, for claims that electronic voting machines are susceptible to tampering. A day before counting of votes to decide the outcome of Lok Sabha election 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party chief slammed aspersions being cast on the Election Commission of India and on EVMs.
While the EC said on Wednesday that there won't be any change in the process of counting of votes, Congress reacted by claiming that EVMs have become BJP's 'Electronic Victory Machines'. Shah, however, fired back with equal intensity. "Insulting EVMs is like insulting people of the country. How can political parties demand a change in the process of counting of votes a day before they are to take place?" he said. "The demands made to the EC by the Opposition stems out of their own selfish reasons."
Congress and a number of opposition parties have been jittery since Sunday when an overwhelming number of exit polls predicted BJP-led National Democratic Alliance to storm back to power. While Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter even before the exit polls were released and questioned the integrity of the EC, he asked party workers to remain brave in another tweet on Wednesday. This was just a day after 22 opposition leaders met with EC officials and demanded that VVPAT slips should be counted first. The demand was rejected.
While opposition leaders have cried foul over EVMs repeatedly, a number of BJP leaders have said that the complaints are only due to the fear of the defeat that is coming for UPA and other parties in the opposition.
