'Won't Trust EVMs Even If I Win All 80 Seats in UP': Akhilesh Yadav in Lok Sabha Debate
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav and fellow party member Awadhesh Prasad in the Lok Sabha during ongoing Parliament session, in New Delhi on July 2. (Image: PTI)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said he will not trust EVMs even if he wins all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Taking part in the Lok Sabha debate on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s address, he said these machines will no longer be used if the INDIA bloc comes to power.
“I did not trust EVMs yesterday, I don’t trust them today. And even if I win all 80 seats, I will not trust EVMs,” he said, adding, “… the issue of EVMs is not dead, and we Samajwadis will remain adamant on it.”
Like Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Yadav also raised the Agnipath issue claiming that even those in the armed forces acknowledge that the scheme has “compromised national security”. “Agnipath issue is of concern. I am a military school alumna… I speak to seniors in the armed forces, who acknowledge that Agnipath has compromised national security,” he said.
Coming to the topic of the alleged paper leak in the NEET-UG 2024, he asked who will take responsibility for the losses. “In UP, whenever an aspirant gave a government job exam, next day report came that paper leak has happened; all papers were leaked in UP. The government is allowing paper leak because it cannot give jobs,” he alleged.
Referring to irregularities in the all-India medical entrance examination, Yadav further alleged that the paper of the most valuable test of the country was leaked. “When did this government give guarantee that paper leak will not happen?” he asked.
In an apparent reference to the Election Commission, Yadav said: “When the Model Code of Conduct was imposed, the government and the commission were favouring some people. I do not want to go into details. Somewhere a question has been raised on that institution as well.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla later said it would be better if questions were not raised on the impartiality of the Election Commission.
(With PTI inputs)