New Delhi, Oct 11, 2024
Hours after Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attributed the party’s loss in Haryana elections to ‘internal disputes’ within the Grand Old Party, his senior colleague Rashid Alvi responded that the poll debacle was not just a result of internal sabotage but also due to the unreliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Alvi also advocated reverting to the old system of paper ballots.
“Until elections are conducted using ballot papers, free and fair polls are impossible in this country,” said Alvi.
“I acknowledge that during elections, there is often internal sabotage. Those who don’t get tickets tend to oppose the party. This doesn’t happen only in the Congress; it occurs in all political parties. But what happened in Haryana is not just a result of internal sabotage or Independent candidates. I’ve been saying for a long time that EVMs are unreliable,” he said.
He further continued, “This happens in all parties, whether it’s the Congress, the BJP, or others. No party is religiously working selflessly without expectations. Political parties have their own agendas. We have witnessed major internal conflicts, just like the great Mahabharata, and power struggles have been a significant cause of it.”
“In Haryana, some Congress members likely engaged in internal sabotage, and I do not doubt that. But the massive victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which hasn’t been seen in years, what extraordinary feat did they accomplish to secure such a huge win? Surely, EVMs played a role in it,” alleged the Congress leader.
Dwelling on the Maharashtra Cabinet’s recent move to increase the salaries of madrasa teachers, Alvi applauded the initiative.
He said, “All teachers, whether they teach in schools, madrasas, or colleges, should be paid at least enough to support their families. I would suggest that Yogi Adityanath learn from this.”
Commenting on NCP chief Ajit Pawar leaving the Maharashtra Cabinet meeting after just ten minutes, the Congress leader said, “He must have many unfulfilled desires, which is why he is always frustrated, whether he is with the BJP as an alliance partner or with his uncle Sharad Pawar.”(Agency)
