'EVMs more robust than Hezbollah pagers': EC shoots down Cong claim

NEW DELHI: 'Our EVMs are more robust than Hezbollah 's pagers' was the EC's response to the claim of Congress 's Rashid Alvi who cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "friendship" with Israel to allege that EVMs could be manipulated just like the pagers in Lebanon and urged the opposition to demand voting through paper ballots.

Referring to pagers and walkie-talkies with Hezbollah which were allegedly turned into exploding devices by Israel, and the PM's good relationship with Israel, Alvi, a former MP and Congress spokesperson, said, "In Maharashtra, the opposition should put pressure to insist on voting by paper ballot and not EVMs. Otherwise, BJP govt and EC can do anything. If Israel can kill people by use of pagers and walkie-talkies, then where does EVM stand? The PM has very good relations with Israel. Israel is an expert in such things. EVM ka bada khel kahin bhi ho sakta hai aur uske liye BJP chunav se pehle yeh sab khel kar leti hai."

Dismissing Congress's accusations of EVM tampering in Haryana polls, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the machines were "100% foolproof" and "can't be hacked like (Hezbollah) pagers used for blasts".

"EVMs cannot be hacked. Pagers are connected devices but EVMs are not," he said. He added that similar accusations were made earlier, with allegations that votes cast for one party could go to another.

Reacting to Alvi's claim, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "Congress seems to have lost both its political intellect as well as the plot. In loss, they flog the same EVMs that also wins them votes and states. No wonder there is a regular flight of leaders from Congress towards saner political quarters, BJP being the primary beneficiary."

Hezbollah had switched to pagers and walkie-talkies at the instance of its chief Hassan Nasrallah who was scared of mobile phones and suspected that devices belonging to members of the group were hacked by Israeli agencies. He had asked Hezbollah members to destroy their mobile phones to evade detection by Israeli agencies. It turned out to be a grave error as Israeli agencies infiltrated the supply chain of pagers by setting up a front company which gained the franchise from the Taiwanese manufacturer of the devices, and rigged them with explosives which could be set off by sending an encrypted message.

With Hezbollah firing missiles at Israel, the encrypted message was delivered to the pagers on Sept 17, setting off explosions which killed more than a dozen and maimed thousands. A day later, this was followed by Hezbollah walkie-talkie sets also going off as part of an audacious operation by Israel. Israel has, however, not claimed responsibility for the innovative warfare.