VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that he has been fighting against the use of EVMs and a strong proponent of the use of VVPATs since 2009, Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has said that he never deviated from his stand.
Participating in a workshop on ‘Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Independence of the Election Commission and the Electoral Process’ held at the India International Centre in New Delhi on Saturday, Naidu recalling a conversation he had with the Prime Minister of Singapore earlier, asked how a technologically dependent country like Singapore does not use EVMs in its electoral process and has opted for the paper ballot system instead. The reason given to him was that technology is always vulnerable to attacks or prone to manipulations and so we need to give up our sole reliance on EVMs.
The Chief Minister mentioned how he along with leaders of 21 political parties were condemning the current electoral process of India for the lack of transparency and what can be termed ethics. He said that India being a vibrant and one of the largest democracies in the world needs a fair and transparent system of electing its representatives. However, he said, “When we oppose the Central Government, we face a lot of problems with the ruling government acting in vendetta.
The Supreme Court has rejected the petition filed by 21 political parties asking for 50 per cent verification of VVPAT slips to ensure accountability in the electoral process. While respecting the decision of the Supreme Court, we promise to continue our fight to bring transparency in the election process.”
He also spoke on the misuse of electoral bonds and demonetisation.