NEW DELHI, Mar 25:
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said no questions should be raised on electronic voting machines (EVMs) as they are kept in the Election Commission’s custody after being handed over to the poll panel by manufacturers.
The Indian election system has been recognised as “one of the best” in the world, he said, replying to a question asked by Congress member Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha.
During the Question Hour, Tewari sought a “specific reply” from the minister on whether the source code of the EVMs remain with the EC or the companies that manufacture them.
“If a company manufactures machines and hands them over to the Election Commission, how will it control the EVMs? That comes under the EC,” Rijiju said in his reply. “No question should be raised on the EVMs. I won’t want to draw any inference on this,” he added.
Following his reply, Tewari insisted that the minister should give a specific answer to his question.
Speaker Om Birla intervened and said the Election Commission should be thanked for the way it conducts elections in the country.
He also said that he has visited many countries, but nowhere in the world has he seen such a big election system developed in any democracy.
The law minister said the Indian election system has been recognised across the globe as “one of the best systems”, so much so that people from other countries come to India to learn.
He also said that it is the government’s effort to see that maximum electors participate in the voting process.
Tewari, however, was dissatisfied with the minister’s reply, and asked him not to “dodge or evade” his question.
“I have asked a specific question. If you don’t have a reply, tell the House. But don’t try to dodge and evade the question. This is a very serious question,” the Congress member said. (PTI)
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