'Immaturity & ignorance': Former election official rebukes Rahul Gandhi's EC criticism

Ghaziabad, April 21 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks at Brown University in the US have stirred a political storm back home in India.

The Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha alleged serious irregularities in the electoral system, specifically accusing the Election Commission of “compromise” during the Maharashtra Assembly elections and claiming that there is a “deep flaw” in the system.

Reacting to these allegations, Dr. Mohammad Amin, former Joint Director of the Election Commission of India, dismissed Rahul’s comments as “immature” and “lacking understanding”.

Speaking to IANS, Dr. Amin on Monday said: “Rahul Gandhi has a habit of questioning the Election Commission from time to time, which reflects his frustration. He seems to forget that his father, grandmother, mother, and sister have all participated in the electoral process. He himself has won elections in two constituencies. Yet, he continues to cast doubts on the Commission, which shows immaturity and a lack of comprehension.”

Dr. Amin added that as a senior opposition leader, Rahul should exhibit maturity and responsibility. “He knows the system well. Making such baseless allegations only highlights his frustration,” he said.

Responding to Rahul’s doubts over the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Dr. Amin said that questioning EVMs has become a routine tactic for the opposition.

“When they win, no issues are raised. But when they lose, they blame the Commission, the EVMs, and the staff,” he remarked.

He also pointed out that EVMs were introduced in India in 2004 under a Congress-led government. “At that time, even the BJP had raised questions on EVMs and published a book on the issue, which was launched by L.K. Advani,” he added.

Clarifying further, Dr. Amin said that Indian EVMs run on batteries, similar to calculators, and there is no scope for tampering. Before implementing EVMs and VVPATs, all political parties were invited to understand their functionality, and the system was adopted only after their consent.

He also noted that the U.S. does not use EVMs, as they rely on network-based voting machines, which have different challenges.

--IANS

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