Skip to main content

EVM manipulation? Only circumstantial, but no direct evidence exists: Congress leader

Counterview Desk
In an open address to his party colleagues, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, senior Supreme Court advocate and former foreign minister, has said that at a time when “honest views” of the party are being “maligned” by suggesting that the party lacks “patriotism and religious impartiality”, it would be “less than fair” to claim that the party has not been “forced” to retreat from its “outspoken defence of freedom and right to equal protection and concern for every democratic view.”
Saying that there is “strategic adjustments to preserve ideological purity in the face of devious attacks are morally permissible, indeed imperative”, he insists in a Facebook post, “But we cannot allow our collective conscience to be confused. Worse than defeat is surrender. The space that we continue to occupy (12 crore votes) must not be vacated for a less deserving alternative.”

Text:

Our leaders, particularly Shri Rahul Gandhi, have felt deep personal disappointment in the election results. Those of us who owe allegiance and emotional attachment to them (count in lakhs) have additional distress to see them so traumatised. Silence and forbearance is the best attitude in such situations. But many colleagues have chosen to speak. In the circumstances silence can be misjudged. I have therefore chosen to depart from holding my peace.
When things go wrong as they have, there is inevitably something that needs to be done. Reinventing and change sound good and reassuring but we need to be sure we know from what and why before looking at how and where. It is a tricky question but a pertinent one: have we ceased to be the Congress we were or are we too much of the original Congress when the world around us has changed.
Furthermore, we must not make the mistake of becoming something we have opposed all along and indeed considered it to be our raison detre. Put simply let us not endeavour to survive if we have no real reason to live; makes little sense to be a theatre character looking for a script. Congress must live because it has an ideology that must not die.
Our current dilemma seems to be that our unique and wholesome ideology has been viciously attacked and undermined by our adversaries having twisted it and misinterpreted it to the people. Our honest views have been maligned for alleged lack of patriotism and religious impartiality. It will be less than fair to claim that we have not suffered self-consciousness that forced us to retreat from our outspoken defence of freedom and right to equal protection and concern for every democratic view.
The space that we continue to occupy (12 crore votes) must not be vacated for a less deserving alternative
On the other hand, the distinction between ideology and strategy should not be overlooked. Strategic adjustments to preserve ideological purity in the face of devious attacks are morally permissible, indeed imperative. But we cannot allow our collective conscience to be confused. Worse than defeat is surrender. The space that we continue to occupy (12 crore votes) must not be vacated for a less deserving alternative. 
People in the party are proclaiming instant formulae for fixing the damage we have suffered. Pardon my disagreement with instant solutions which seem to be like shooting in the dark. My ground reading does not validate the extent of the mandate although it gives some idea of our appeals having fallen on deaf ears.
Have we all not been puzzled by the universal lack of celebration of the victory in public spaces? Are the people equally puzzled? Dare we look at the EVM doubts with determination to settle the issue one way or other? There is after all much by way of circumstantial evidence, though no direct evidence. If this was the only matter under the shadow of doubt we could have moved on.
But there is so much more nibbling away, nay gorging on our democracy that each barricade of resistance is a matter of life and death for the Idea of India. Without meaning to be arrogant (something we are accused of often) the Congress too is part of that Idea. It matters not which one of us will live to see the Idea prevail but enough will be the honour to have fought for it. Citadels oppression and hate crumble when the warriors of truth and non-violence march to the tune of Mahatma Gandhi.
Let us remain united, together, with faith in ourselves.

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam* In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah  A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”