NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday hit out at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his remarks on EVMs, asking why he had changed his approach towards INDIA bloc partners after becoming the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
He said parties such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have also spoken against electronic voting machines (EVMs).
In an exclusive interview with PTI, the NC leader dismissed the objections to EVMs, saying it cannot be that the Congress celebrates its win in polls held through the machines and then raises questions on their reliability when it loses.
Reacting to his remarks, Tagore said, “It’s the Samajwadi Party, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT0 that have spoken against EVMs. Please check your facts, CM Omar Abdullah.”
“The Congress CWC resolution clearly addresses the ECI only. Why this approach to our partners after being CM?” he said.
Abdullah had said, “When you get hundred-plus members of Parliament using the same EVMs and you celebrate that as sort of a victory for your party, you can’t then a few months later turn around and say… we don’t like these EVMs because now the election results aren’t going the way we would like them to.”
When questioned about whether his stance echoed that of the BJP, Abdullah firmly rejected the suggestion. “God forbid!” he responded, adding that his views are based on principle rather than political alignment. “What’s right is right,” he said, pointing to his independent stance on issues like the Central Vista project.
“Contrary to what everybody else believes, I think the Central Vista project and constructing a new Parliament building was an excellent idea. The old one had outlived its utility,” he stated.
The debate over EVMs continues to divide the opposition, with some parties raising serious concerns while others, like Abdullah, advocate trust in the system. His remarks have not only reignited discussions on EVM reliability but also revealed the challenges the INDIA bloc faces in presenting a united front ahead of upcoming elections.
