New Delhi: RJD leader Lalu Prasad and SP
chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today led an opposition attack
against Electronic Voting Machines, saying these could be
tampered with, an allegation stoutly denied by the government.
Prasad raised the issue of EVMs in the Lok Sabha during
a debate on a bill to provide voting rights for NRIs, saying
the machines could be tampered with and manipulated.
"EVMs hatayiye aur ballot layiye (remove EVMS and bring
back paper ballots)," he said, noting that even the BJP was
ready to support this demand.
Sharing the sentiments expressed by Prasad, Yadav too
demanded that use of EVMs should be stopped forthwith, saying
the US had found the "voting machines are not tamper-proof
enough and can be manipulated."
Responding to their concerns, Law Minister M Veerappa
Moily said some individuals have made some allegations against
EVMs, but this had been examined a number of times including
by a technical committee headed by former IIT Director P V
Indiresan.
"This technical committee had found that the EVMs are
totally efficient and tamper-proof. Till today, nobody has
been able to dispute this," he said.
"I know the EVM issue has agitated the minds of members of
this House time and again. But this is the finding, as of
today," he added.
PTI
