BJP: EVMs good when Oppn wins
■ EC said in a statement that the ‘ECIEVMs’ are stand-alone machines designed to connect only amongst ballot unit, control unit and VVPAT through cables that remain in full public view.
■ The statement added there is no mechanism in ECI-EVMs to communicate with any device through wireless communication on any radio frequency. All versions of ECI-EVMs are regularly and rigorously tested against low to high wireless frequencies. These tests include, and go beyond the standard tests specified for electronic equipment.
■ BJP termed the event as a Congresssponsored conspiracy to defame India’s democracy
A day after a self-proclaimed cyber expert, reportedly seeking asylum in the United States, addressed a group of journalists in London via Skype, and made unsubstantiated claims of large-scale EVM tampering in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP Tuesday labeled the event as a “Congress-sponsored conspiracy” to defame India’s democracy and the mandate of the last general election which the BJP won with a thumping majority.
Questioning the presence of senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal at the event, senior BJP leader and Union law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that Mr Sibal was there to “monitor” the event on the Congress’ behalf as the Opposition party had already seeking an “alibi” for its certain loss in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Mr Prasad also claimed that Ashis Ray, the head of the Indian Journalists’ Association, which had organised the event, was a “committed Congressman” and had been singing paeans in support of Rahul Gandhi.
“When they (Opposition parties) win, the EVMs are good... when the BJP wins, the EVMs become suspect. What kind of logic is this?” the Union minister asked, saying there can’t be a more “shameful” argument which is designed to compromise the Indian electoral process.
Mr Prasad also reminded the Congress that it was the Congress-led UPA government which was in power till the people voted it out in 2014, and cited local bodies polls in West Bengal, when the ruling TMC did not use EVMs, and there were widespread allegations of rigging.