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| Azad seeks 'Greater Consultations on Methodology of e-voting for NRIs' | | | Agencies
NEW DELHI, Apr 29: Questioning the NDA Governments motives to surreptitiously pursue a proposal to allow Overseas Indians to vote through internet without taking Parliament into confidence, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that it has become a fashion with the NDA Government to bypass the Parliamentary processes and scrutiny.
Ghulam Nabi Azad stated this while initiating the discussion in Rajya Sabha on his Calling Attention Motion aimed at highlighting the risks involved in e- voting and proxy voting as is being contemplated by the Narinder Modi Government.
Azad urged the BJP Government to refrain from tweaking the election laws in haste in order to satiate its puffy and highfalutin pretensions of being "tech savvy".
Ridiculing the BJP Governments disregard of Parliament and its processes, Azad said it is dismal that very important matters which fall within the domain of Parliament come to the knowledge of law-makers through newspapers and media reports.
Emphasizing that Congress has always stood for strengthening the democratic processes, Azad said that in principle nobody is against the use of internet and e-voting as far as NRIs are concerned.
Asserting that Congress has been favourably disposed to grant NRIs right to vote through internet, Azad said that Dr Manmohan Singh while addressing the Pravasi Bharati Divas at Jaipur in 2012 had assured to consider the matter with all empathy and positivity.
Azad said that in the light of recent newspaper reports about the hacking of e-mail account of President Obama the dangers and pitfalls are further reinforced and this fact emphasizes nothing but to exercise caution. "Even US scrapped a proposal to allow its overseas Defence Forces to Vote through internet", cautioned Azad.
Urging the Government to first consider the voting rights for migrant workers within the country, instead of proposing voting rights to those who are living abroad (NRIs), Azad said this will be seen as an attempt to favour those who have money and influence.
Further, he said, this militates against the fundamental principle of equality, fairness and justice.
Stressing that all the dimensions, including the very vital issue of security of internet need to be looked into with very sensitivity before embarking on any move to operationalise the e-voting system, Azad said and added Govt should hold wider consultations and give up its policy of showing disregard to Parliamentary scrutiny, as deliberation and consultationare integral to the spirit of democracy. |
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