Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Apr 29: Questioning the NDA Government’s motives to surreptitiously pursue a proposal to allow overseas Indians to vote through internet without taking Parliament into confidence, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that it has become a fashion with the NDA Government to bypass the Parliamentary processes and scrutiny.
Mr Azad stated this while initiating the discussion in Rajya Sabha on his calling attention motion aimed at highlighting the risks involved in e-voting and proxy voting as is being contemplated by the Narendra Modi Government.
Azad urged the BJP Government to refrain from tweaking the election laws in haste in order to satiate its puffy and highfalutin pretensions of being “tech savvy”.
Ridiculing the BJP Governments disregard of Parliament and its processes, Azad said it is dismal that very important matters which fall within the domain of Parliament come to the knowledge of law-makers through newspapers and media reports. He said that Congress Party and its visionary leadership since the days of freedom movement have championed the cause of universal franchise and soon after accomplishing the goal of independence; universal adult suffrage was implemented without any distinction of caste, color and creed in the entire country.
“Rajiv Gandhi brought in 73rd amendment and extended the democratic process to grass-root level”, Azad said.
Emphasizing that Congress has always stood for strengthening the democratic processes, Azad said that in principle nobody is against the use of internet and e-voting as far as NRIs are concerned.
Significantly, NRIs have the right to vote physically at the booth they are registered in the country.
Asserting that Congress Party has been favourably disposed to grant NRIs right to vote through internet, Azad said that Dr Manmohan Singh while addressing the Pravasi Bharati Divas at Jaipur in 2012 had assured to consider the matter with all empathy and positivity.
“However, the concerns of security and privacy which are being raised by the political parties and experts, need to be addressed before notifying such provisions”, said Azad.
He said when developed and advanced countries are not using internet for voting, why we should be in haste to go ahead with the move. “Even US scrapped a proposal to allow its overseas Defence Forces to vote through internet”, remarked Azad.
Urging the Government to first consider the voting rights for migrant workers within the country, who are in crores, and then go ahead with the proposed move of granting voting rights to those who are living abroad (NRIs). Azad said this will be seen as an attempt to favour those who have money and influence.
“Govt should hold wider consultations and give up its policy of showing disregard to Parliamentary scrutiny, as deliberation and consultation are integral to the spirit of democracy”, Mr Azad maintained.
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