Opposition leaders have renewed their assault on Centre over EVMs after Elon Musk’s tweet
New Delhi:
Greater than per week after the Lok Sabha election outcomes, the talk over Digital Voting Machines (EVM) and whether or not they are often hacked is again beneath the highlight, due to ‘X’ Boss Elon Musk.
A comment by the Tesla CEO on EVMs prompted a pointy response from BJP chief and former expertise minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar. And now, Opposition leaders are sharing Mr Musk’s tweet to emphasize their issues over EVMs.
Musk’s submit, during which he flagged the danger of EVMs being hacked, additionally comes amid stories {that a} relative of Ravindra Waikar, Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai North West, was utilizing a cellphone that might be linked to an EVM. The stories have fuelled the EVM debate, with Opposition leaders questioning the Election Fee’s “silence”.
EVMs in India are a “black field,” and no person is allowed to scrutinize them.
Severe issues are being raised about transparency in our electoral course of.
Democracy finally ends up turning into a sham and susceptible to fraud when establishments lack accountability. https://t.co/nysn5S8DCFpic.twitter.com/7sdTWJXOAb
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 16, 2024
Elon Musk’s tweet on EVMs was in reply to a submit by Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of former US President John F Kennedy and impartial longing for the following US Elections, on polling in ballot irregularities in Puerto Rico. “We should always remove digital voting machines. The danger of being hacked by people or AI, whereas small, continues to be too excessive,” Musk posted.
In response, former Union minister Chandrasekhar mentioned Musk’s comment is a “large sweeping generalization assertion that means nobody can construct safe digital {hardware}”.
“@elonmusk’s view might apply to US n different locations – the place they use common compute platforms to construct Web linked Voting machines. However Indian EVMs are customized, safe and remoted from any community or media – No connectivity, no bluetooth, wifi, Web. ie there isn’t any method in. Manufacturing facility programmed controllers that can not be reprogrammed. Digital voting machines will be architected and constructed proper as India has carried out. We wud be glad to run a tutorial Elon,” he mentioned.
This drew a brief response from Musk, as he doubled down on his level. “Something will be hacked,” he mentioned. Mr Chandrasekhar argued that whereas “something is feasible”, EVMs proceed to be a dependable voting technique as in comparison with paper ballots.
Leaping into the talk, Opposition leaders shared Elon Musk’s remarks to emphasize their oft-repeated issues concerning the EVM technique.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi mentioned EVMs in Indian “are a ‘black field’ and no person is allowed to scrutinize them”.
EVMs in India are a “black field,” and no person is allowed to scrutinize them.
Severe issues are being raised about transparency in our electoral course of.
Democracy finally ends up turning into a sham and susceptible to fraud when establishments lack accountability. https://t.co/nysn5S8DCFpic.twitter.com/7sdTWJXOAb
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 16, 2024
“Severe issues are being raised about transparency in our electoral course of. Democracy finally ends up turning into a sham and susceptible to fraud when establishments lack accountability,” he mentioned, whereas sharing Musk’s submit and a information report on Ravindra Waikar’s election.
Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Occasion chief and a Congress ally, shared Musk’s submit. “Know-how is to take away issues, in the event that they grow to be a reason behind issues, their use have to be stopped. When dangers of EVM tampering are being flagged in a number of elections the world over and well-known expertise specialists are flagging dangers, the BJP should clear the air on why they’re bent on utilizing EVMs,” he mentioned, demanding that upcoming polls be utilized by poll paper technique.
Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Priyanka Chaturvedi flagged the stories on Mumbai election. “This can be a fraud on the highest degree and but the @ECISVEEP continues to sleep,” she mentioned in a submit on X.
The INDIA Opposition bloc, too, shared Elon Musk’s remarks from its official deal with.
The Election Fee maintains that the EVMs represent a viable voting technique and sturdy technical and administrative safeguards are in place for his or her use.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar not too long ago took a swipe at these questioning EVMs. Addressing the media after the Lok Sabha ballot outcomes, he mentioned, “The outcomes of EVM are in entrance of everybody. Why to accuse that poor fellow? Let it relaxation for a couple of days. Let EVM relaxation until the following election. Then it should come out, then its battery might be modified, then its papers might be modified. Then it should get abused once more, however will ship good outcomes. It has been displaying related outcomes for the reason that final 20-22 elections, the federal government retains altering,” he mentioned.