chorus against EVMs

Election Commission

Cong's Veerappa Moily backs EVMs, calls opposition's protest 'defeatist'

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress member and former Union law minister Veerappa Moily has slammed the party’s decision to join the, calling it a “defeatist” mindset while arguing that the voting machines are beyond doubt.A day after Congress joined the bloc of 16 opposition parties to petition theagainst voting machines, Moily expressed dismay that his party had come under the “populist” sway of regional outfits, which were only looking for excuses for their electoral defeats.“I am a former law minister. During my period, EVMs were introduced. And complaints also came. We got them verified. Then you know, you should not forget the history. Just because you think there is a popular wave against EVMs, we will also catch up with that,” Moily told TOI.Asked about Congress joining other opposition parties in approaching the EC, Moily said, “We shouldn’t have. None of us have been consulted… many of us were not consulted.”The difference of opinion from the senior Congress MP indicates that the party, which preceded BJP at the Centre, may have less leeway in arguing against voting machines than the regional outfits that are not burdened by history.“EVMs, we know very well. Even during our period (UPA), we got them tested. EVM is not the reason. Just because you are defeated? Only the defeatist people will blame EVMs, otherwise there is no point,” Moily said.According to him, “local mistakes” in voting machines are reported but there is a system to address them. However, he added that “local mistakes” were different from the possibility of “abusing of the technology”, referring to tampering of EVMs. “(Talk about) Abusing the technology itself isn’t right. It is something I don’t subscribe to,” he said.Moily dubbed as “populism” the tirade against EVMs.He warned, “This populism will destroy your base. Congress should not go for populism. Just because somebody in some region took up the issue, I don’t think you (Congress) should play second fiddle to them.”