Trinamool Congress distanced itself from the allied Congress on Monday amid continued debate over ‘EVM tampering’. Senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee urged the party to ‘show evidence to the Election Commission’ rather than ‘making a few statements’. The remarks echo a similar assertion by fellow INDIA bloc leader Omar Abdullah last week.
“This is my personal opinion that those who are raising questions on the EVMs should show a demo of its discrepancies to the EC. They should show any video [as evidence] to the EC. The EC even called everyone. I have been conducting elections on-ground for a long time. If someone works well during EVM randomisation and the booth workers check EVMs during mock polls or review the form 17C, which is used to check ballot units or control units, during counting of votes, I don’t think there is anything substantial in these allegations [of EVM manipulation]. Even after that, if someone feels that the EVMs can be manipulated, a delegation of them should visit the EC and show a demo or evidence proving that there is some malware or technology to hack EVMs. If they are unable to do that [show evidence], a movement or Andolan should be organised [by them] over the issue. Only making 2-3 statements regarding a matter does not mean anything,” said senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.
