Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Thursday reiterated his apprehensions around the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP can win 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 if EVMs are not fixed. Sam Pitroda, who recently attracted some ire for his remarks on Ram Mandir, claimed that his comments were “twisted” and that religion should not be complicated by politics.
He said there is a trust deficit in EVMs and he even wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the same.
“I waited for the Election Commission to respond but when it didn’t happen I decided to speak. It has nothing to do with the fact that elections in five states are over and the 2024 election is coming. I feel there is a trust deficit based on this report. And, the Election Commission must respond to rebuild the trust,” he said.
“More power to them if they think they can do it. Great. That is for the country to decide. EVM needs to be fixed before the next election. If EVM is not fixed, 400 may be true. If EVM is fixed, 400 may not be true,” he told PTI.
The questions around EVMs are not new as Opposition parties have several times alleged that the electronic voting machines are rigged in the favor of BJP. The ECI has dismissed all such allegations and even challenged the political parties to prove their claims. The BJP has also targeted Opposition parties over the issue and called it their excuse after losing elections.
While clarifying himself on the Ram Mandir remarks, Sam Pitroda said 60% people of India do not vote for BJP but PM Modi is everybody’s Prime Minister. He said that PM Modi should speak more about issues like employment, inflation, science and technology, etc.
“My comments on the Ram mandir got twisted. I am basically protecting the Constitution. I am saying that religion is a very personal matter, leave it to the people. Of course you celebrate, people should celebrate what they want to. But don’t complicate it with politics,” he said, responding to his remarks on the Ram Temple, PTI reported.
“I have no problem with any religion. It is okay to go visit the temple once in a while, but you can’t make that the main platform. 40 percent of the people vote for BJP, and 60 percent of the people do not vote for BJP. He is everybody’s Prime Minister and not a party’s Prime Minister and that’s the message the people of India want him to have. Talk about employment, talk about inflation, talk about science and technology and challenges. They (people) have to decide what are the real issues- is Ram Mandir the real issue? Or unemployment is a real issue. Is Ram Mandir the real issue or Inflation is a real issue?” he told ANI.
Represents Rahul Gandhi’s thinking: BJP
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to hit back at Sam Pitroda and said he represents the thinking of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi. “This is Sam Pitroda who is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi. A lot of it represents the thinking of Rahul Gandhi that Hindutva doesn’t matter. Terrorism doesn’t matter because of appeasement. Inflation and corruption don’t matter because of crony capitalism. Hindu faith doesn’t matter because of their appeasement politics,” BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar said on Wednesday.
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Published: 28 Dec 2023, 05:40 PM IST