EVMs are not reliable, says BJP former leader Yashwant Sinha
Sinha in symposium on ‘threat to democracy and constitution’ in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 27: BJP former leader Yashwant Sinha said that he does not have the belief that election process would be held properly through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and got good results.
Speaking at a symposium on ‘threat to democracy and constitution’ organized by the Progressive Forum at the Legislators House in the city on Sunday, Sinha said that developed countries have already have already said that EVMs could be hacked. But the Central Election Commission is not accepting it. Instead, it has been challenging to prove allegation, he said.
For the last four years, the democracy in the country is in a dangerous situation. Democratic organizations have been targeted. When the opposition parties are against presenting the budget, the Prime Minister has never tried to pacify the opposition leaders by discussing with them, he alleged.
When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he had directed the opposition parties not to disturb the Parliament Session. Because of this reason, the government was responding to the demands of the opposition parties including no-confidence motion, he said.
Clear message
As the secular political parties have come together and formed the government in the state after the Assembly election, it has sent a clear message to the country. In the last Lok Sabha election, BJP has got just 31 per cent of votes and 69 per cent of votes were against it. If all the political parties come together, it is sure that secular parties would form the government at the center, he said.
Nowadays, media houses were being controlled to win the election. Both media and social media are so dangerous. Every citizen should speak loudly and protect the country and democracy, he appealed.
Freedom fighter HS Doreswamy, former minister BT Lalitha Nayak, dalit leader Lakshminarayan Nagawara, former MLA BR Patil, Congress senior leader BL Shankar. MP Nadagouda and others were present.
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Skipper Rahane urges KKR to embrace tough days, play with freedom
Ahmedabad (PTI): Winless after six matches, time is running out for Kolkata Knight Riders playoff hopes but their embattled skipper Ajinkya Rahane has urged the side to "embrace tough phases, play with freedom, and focus on one game at a time".
Loss has been one constant for the three-time former champions this season as they endured a five-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans to slump to their fifth defeat from six matches with their solitary point coming courtesy a rain washout against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens.
“It’s about accepting and embracing these tough days. Every day is a new day... trying to do better, playing with freedom, and backing each other," Rahane was at his philosophical best at the post-match media interaction here on Friday.
A minimum of seven wins is needed from a 10-team league to keep a team's playoff aspirations alive.
With eight matches to go and one point in their kitty, the task will be an improbable one for KKR from here on.
'Nothing to lose'
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Rahane, however, said they have nothing to lose and it's all about playing with freedom.
“We’re thinking one game at a time. It’s tough when you lose games, but everyone is trying their best. No one wants to lose any match -- we all want to win -- but that’s what sport is all about... keep your heads up. For us, it’s about going out there, being positive, and playing with freedom. We’ve got nothing to lose.
“Let me tell you one thing: everyone is working really hard. For us, it’s all about playing for our fans and the people of Kolkata, and we’re trying to do our best.
"After each and every game, there’s discussion about how we can improve. Obviously, when you lose, you tend to think about combinations and the areas we can get better at, so the discussion is always on."
Rahane won a fourth toss from six matches this season, but his decision to bat first once again raised eyebrows. Even his counterpart Shubman Gill said at the toss he would have preferred to bowl, keeping the dew in mind.
The call backfired as KKR slipped to 32 for 3 in four overs before their Rs 25.20-crore acquisition Cameron Green bailed them out with his best innings for the franchise so far, a 79 off 55 balls.
“It’s never easy when things are not going your way, and the courage he showed was fantastic. All credit to him," Rahane said.
“Yes, as a batting team we were thinking about 200 on this wicket. It would have been challenging, but let’s not take anything away from his innings.
“Attacking Rashid Khan and their fast bowlers, he was fantastic tonight for us.”
'Proud of bowlers'
The KKR skipper also admitted in the media interaction that there was a "bit of dew" but he hailed their inexperienced bowlers for taking the match till the final over.
From being 95/1 in nine overs in their chase of 181, GT were made to sweat with Jos Buttler, Washington Sunder, Glenn Phillilps and a well-set Gill falling against the run of play.
Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan eventually sealed the nervy chase with two balls to spare.
“Special mention to our bowling unit. It’s such an inexperienced attack with just two seniors in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, but the kind of improvement they’ve shown, especially in the last three games, has been fantastic," said Rahane.
“Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, and Anukul Roy have also been fantastic, bowling tough overs in the powerplay and picking up wickets.
“Our support staff is doing a great job of keeping the environment really good. It’s all about accepting, but we will keep trying our best.”
