'If pagers can be rigged, so can EVMs': Row over Congress leader Rashid Alvi's remark

NEW DELHI: Citing the example of Israel hacking pagers of militant outfit Hezbollah , Rashid Alvi on Tuesday claimed that Electric Voting Machine's could be similarly manipulated. The Congress leader's remarks sparked a political debate, with Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) tagging it as the grand old party's admission of defeat.

Speaking to ANI, Alvi said, "In Maharashtra, the opposition should put pressure to insist on voting by paper ballot and not EVMs. Otherwise, in Maharashtra, BJP govt and EC can do anything."

"If Israel can kill people by use of pagers and walkie-talkies, then where does EVM stand? The PM has very good relations with Israel. Israel is an expert in such things. EVM ka bada khel kahin bhi ho sakta hai aur uske liye BJP chunav se pehle yeh sab khel kar leti hai," Alvi said.

#WATCH | Delhi | On Maharashtra and Jharkhand poll dates to be announced today, Congress leader Rashid Alvi says, "...EVM ka bada khel kahin bhi ho sakta hai aur uske liye BJP chunav se pehle yeh sab khel kar leti hai." pic.twitter.com/NYQWMkiBbP

— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2024

BJP national spokesperson Shehzaad Poonawalla reacted to Alvi's statement and said that if Congress is winning, then they do not find any fault with the EVMs.

Calling it a Congress excuse of losing Haryana polls, Poonawalla wrote on X, "Rashid Alvi statement is admission of defeat even before dates have been announced by ECI. Congress blamed EVMs in Haryana too."

"When they win EVMs are fine! Otherwise they start making EVM Bahana. EVM is bahana Rahul Baba ko haar se bachana, isliye EC pe nishana," he added.

Rashid Alvi statement is admission of defeat even before dates have been announced by ECI

Congress blamed EVMs in Haryana too. When they win EVMs are fine! Otherwise they start making EVM Bahana

EVM is bahana
Rahul Baba ko haar se bachana
Isliye EC pe nishana pic.twitter.com/Xm953yYblp

— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) October 15, 2024

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari slammed Congress for disrespecting democratic institutions. "Rashid Alvi ji's statement shows that the Congress party has no faith in democratic institutions. The same EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) helped Congress win in Telangana and Karnataka. Congress has accepted that they cannot get public support in the country, which is why they are attacking our democratic institutions out of desperation. That is why their alliance is called the ‘Maha Vinash Aghadi’," said Bhandari.