At a time when the BJP leadership is busy selecting the chief ministers for the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress, instead of introspecting and analyzing the reasons for its electoral debacle, is busy blaming Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Outside the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal on Thursday, Congress workers smeared black ink on a poster depicting an electronic voting machine. They were led by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and elected MLA Phool Singh Baraiya. Soon after the MP results were out, Digvijaya Singh had written on social media that he had been opposing use of EVMs since 2003.
Digvijaya Singh had written in his ‘X’ post that “any machine with a chip can be hacked. I have opposed voting by EVM since 2003. Can we allow our Indian democracy to be controlled by professional hackers? This is the fundamental question which all political parties will have to address. Hon. ECI and Hon. Supreme Court, will you defend Indian democracy?” During campaigning, Baraiya had challenged that he would blacken his own face if the BJP won more than 50 seats in MP. On Thursday, Digvijaya Singh put some token black marks on his face to fulfil the latter’s promise. These black marks will wash off soon, but the black mark on the party’s face because of the crushing defeat, will take time to worn off. Instead of washing off the black mark of defeat, Congress is trying to find escape routes and blaming EVMs. In Raipur, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel raked up the EVM tampering issue and asked, ‘Whenever Congress or anyone else ask questions regarding EVM tampering, BJP gets irritated. BJP should tell why it gets irritated when questions on EVMs are asked.”
Baghel asked why BJP leadership is taking such a long time to decide about the chief ministers. It seems Congress leaders are more worried about why BJP is not selecting its chief ministers for the three states. Congress leaders are also questioning why media is not raking this up to make it a big issue. BJP leaders are not at all worried about the delay in selecting CMs. Not a single BJP leader has raised question over the delay till now. But the Congress is enjoying this despite its crushing defeat in three states. Congress leaders expect infighting among BJP leaders. They expect Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dr Raman Singh to raise voices of dissent in BJP.
The problem is, Congress leaders have not yet understood Modi or BJP leaders. Can any BJP leader raise a banner of revolt against Modi? It was Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan who refused to resign despite pressures from Rahul Gandhi and the Congress high command. It is Kamal Nath, who despite being told to resign from the post of state party chief, has not yet done so. There is no point in Congress leaders blaming the media. It is true that the names of BJP chief ministers in all the three states have not yet been announced, but it is an open fact that the names will become public in a day or two. Nobody in BJP will raise a voice of dissent over any decision on CM.
Not a single BJP leader from the three states has staked his or her claim on chief ministership. In Karnataka, when Congress returned to power, several claimants came forward for the post of CM. Congress leaders must remember how supporters of two camps showed their strength in front of cameras when the CM was being decided in Himachal Pradesh. It was only then that media made headlines over such issues. It would be better if Congress leaders, leave aside their bitterness, and sit together to analyze why their claims of victory before counting proved wrong. Why the people of the three states accepted “Modi’s Guarantee”? Instead of blackening EVM posters, they should realize how EVMs declared the Congress victorious with a thumping majority in Telangana.
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 pmIndia's Number One and most followed Super Prime Time News Show 'Aaj Ki Baat- Rajat Sharma Ke Saath' was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show has redefined India's super-prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries.
