Shah attacks opposition parties for questioning EVMs

Targeting the opposition for questioning electronic voting machines (EVMs), BJP President Amit Shah said on Saturday that instead of making excuses, these parties should have honestly introspected the reasons.

Speaking to the media, Shah dubbed this attitude of opposition parties as disrespect to the Election Commission (EC).

"After their defeat, these political parties should have honestly and gracefully accepted it, but they began making excuses. Among the excuses, EVMs are being discussed," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad quoted Amit Shah as saying during his presidential speech.

According to Prasad, Shah said: "Such talks are like not accepting the defeat honestly and dishonouring the Election Commission."

In a sarcastic attack, Shah said that when United Progressive Alliance won two consecutive election in 2004 and 2009, "EVMs were all right".

"When Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party won elections in 2007 and 2012, EVMs were all right. When BJP lost elections in Bihar and Delhi, it was OK, but now all of a sudden questions are being raised on EVMs," Shah said.

The BJP also challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to accept the open challenege of Election Commission to hack EVMs.

"The EC has publicly asked to hack EVMs. Why doesn't he (Kejriwal) hack it. He is an IIT gradute," Prasad said.

--IANS

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