The Congress Party vows to continue its political crusade for increased utilization of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT) in a bid to fortify public faith in the electoral process. Party leader Jairam Ramesh announced the initiative on Friday, following the Supreme Court's dismissal of petitions demanding a 100% tally of votes cast via Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with VVPAT.
Congress Wasn't a Party to the Case: Jairam Ramesh
According to news agencies, General Secretary Jairam Ramesh confirmed that Congress neither directly nor indirectly played a part in the VVPAT petition that the Supreme Court rejected today. On the social media platform 'X', Ramesh posted that they have noted the bench's decision but will persist with the campaign to heighten the use of VVPAT to increase public trust in elections.
Spotlight on BJP's Reaction
Playing a critical role in the narrative, Ramesh criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's description of the Supreme Court's ruling as a 'slap in the face' for Congress. He argued that it was the BJP who received a 'slap in the face' when the top court deemed the Electoral Bond Scheme not just illegal, but unconstitutional weeks earlier.
Ramesh asserted that it is the Prime Minister who should apologize to the nation for amassing a whopping 8,200 crore rupees in the last five years through what he terms as his 'well-documented channels of collection':
Donate and get business favors
Secure contracts by offering bribes
Extortion
Phantom companies
The Supreme Court on Friday put an end to petitions seeking complete verification of votes recorded via EVMs against VVPAT, stating that 'blind distrust' in any aspect of the system can lead to unjustified suspicion.
