Evasion won't protect credibility: Rahul to EC; EC sources wonder why he's not writing directly
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit back at the Election Commission after sources in the poll panel rejected his allegation of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, saying evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would.
In an article, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged "match-fixing" in the Maharashtra polls and claimed that it would next happen in the Bihar elections and "anywhere the BJP is losing".
EC sources wondered as to why instead of writing to the poll panel directly, the Congress leader is seeking replies through newspaper writeups.
"It is very strange that despite EC's detailed letter to Congress on December 24 last year, Rahul Gandhi keeps speaking and writing to media seeking answers to his same unfounded doubts again and again," a functionary said.
ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi claims "match-fixing" in Maharashtra polls, says Bihar is next
He also pointed out that EC had invited six national parties separately for interaction, and except the Congress, all the others met the poll authority.
The Congress had cancelled a meeting proposed by the EC for May 15.
"It is not clear as to why Rahul Gandhi is shying away from writing to the EC himself and get a reply," the functionary said.
Rahul Gandhi, on his part, has questioned the EC for responding to his posers through source-based inputs.
"Dear EC, You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions," he said on X.
"If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by: Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states, including Maharashtra, and by releasing all post-5 pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths," he said.
"Evasion won't protect your credibility. Telling the truth will," the Congress leader said.
EC sources earlier rejected claims made by Rahul Gandhi about alleged irregularities in Maharashtra polls.
ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi can't garner public support: BJP counters 'match-fixing' barb
Responding to the charges, EC sources said any misinformation being spread by anyone brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by political parties during elections, and demotivates lakhs of poll staff who work tirelessly for the gigantic exercise.
They also pointed out that unsubstantiated allegations raised against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra were an affront to the rule of law.
Underscoring that match-fixed elections are a "poison" for any democracy, Rahul Gandhi wrote that the side that cheats may win the game, but it damages institutions and destroys public faith.
The Congress leader earlier outlined the alleged electoral irregularities in a stepwise manner -- fake voters added, the voter turnout inflated, bogus voting facilitated and evidence subsequently hidden.
The Congress leader alleged that the 2024 Maharashtra elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy" and this "match-fixing" would next happen "anywhere the BJP is losing".
"How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy," he said while sharing an op-ed published in The Indian Express.
"My article shows how this happened, step by step: Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission. Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll. Step 3: Inflate voter turnout. Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win. Step 5: Hide the evidence.
"It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing -- the side that cheats might win the game, but it damages institutions and destroys public faith in the result. All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers," he said.
In his article titled "Match-fixing Maharashtra", Rahul Gandhi said, "Voter rolls and CCTV footage are tools to be used to strengthen democracy, not ornaments to be locked up. The people of India have a right to be assured that no records have been or will be trashed."
Stating that he doubted the fairness of Indian elections, Rahul Gandhi said, "Not every time, not everywhere, but often. I am not talking of small-scale cheating, but of industrial-scale rigging involving the capture of our national institutions."
"But if some earlier election outcomes seemed odd, the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections is glaringly strange," he noted.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
