Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the Supreme Court’s dismissal of requests for cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with a VVPAT was a strong response to the Opposition. He also mentioned that the Opposition owes an apology to the nation. PM Modi made these comments during an election rally in Bihar’s Araria. He emphasized the importance of democracy and criticized the Opposition for tarnishing the electoral process for their own gains.
The Supreme Court rejected the pleas for complete cross-verification of votes, highlighting the need to trust the system and avoid unwarranted scepticism. The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta stressed the importance of building harmony and trust among all institutions in a democracy.
During the rally, the Prime Minister accused the Congress party of conspiring against the rights of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
“I want to emphasize that the Congress party has engaged in a deep conspiracy to strip away the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs. I make this statement with the utmost responsibility,” he stated.
He further referenced Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s clear stance against religion-based reservations, highlighting that the Congress is actively attempting to implement such reservations. The Prime Minister criticized the Congress for adopting the Karnataka model of reservation, which included all Muslims in the OBC list regardless of their financial status, thereby betraying the OBC community.
Additionally, he strongly criticized the RJD-Congress alliance, stating that they disregard India’s Constitution. He pointed out that they had prevented people from exercising their right to vote for many years and now, when the poor and honest voters have the power of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), they are making every effort to eliminate EVMs.
The Union Law Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal, also commended the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that it has exposed the Opposition parties, including the Congress, who spared no opportunity to “defame” the Election Commission.