Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and the INDI alliance for questioning the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Speaking to the media at his official residence on Saturday, Yogi asserted that these critics are the same lot who once used to rob ballot papers. He said that the Congress people are blaming the EVMs since they are convinced of their imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

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Yogi also targeted the Congress and the INDI alliance on the beef issue. He questioned the inclusion of promises in their manifesto to grant minorities the right to consume food of their choice. He questioned the notion, asking what specific food or drink sets minorities apart from the rest of the community. The Chief Minister also raised concerns about the silence being maintained by the other allies within the INDI alliance on this specific issue.

On the issue of EVMs, the Chief Minister emphasised that whenever the INDI alliance faces defeat, it tends to attribute its loss to EVMs. We all have been consistently hearing this narrative since 2014. He asked the Congress and other opposition parties whether the governments formed in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka last year, the UPA government in 2004, and the Congress governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh in 2018, as well as the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi and Punjab, were formed through ballot papers?

Yogi asserted that those rejecting EVMs are the same who previously resorted to looting ballot boxes. If the Election Commission of India has guaranteed the integrity of elections through modern technology, why these people are trying to vent their anger on EVMs? The trends of the last two phases of the Lok Sabha elections have made it amply clear that the Modi government will once again come to power in the country. The nation has decided that this time it will grant a mandate of over 400 seats to the NDA. When the NDA is moving ahead under the leadership of the BJP, why are the members of the INDI alliance targeting the EVMs to vent their frustration? Such actions only cement their defeat, and blaming EVMs is the cheapest excuse, he added.

Responding to the beef issue, the Chief Minister said that before the first phase of voting, our focus was on issues related to development, security, and welfare of the poor. In the meanwhile, the Congress released its manifesto. After reviewing their manifesto, it can be said that even though it may appear as a gesture of justice for Congress, it ultimately undermines the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of the country. He pointed out that the manifesto promises freedom for the minority community to eat and drink as per their interests.

Yogi questioned whether the food habits of the minority community significantly differ from those of the rest of the communities. He emphasised that the Hindu community in India considers the cow as its mother and refrains from consuming beef. The Congress is making a malicious attempt to give this exemption to Muslims, he said, asserting that no one will accept this. Yogi also asked other partners of the INDI alliance whether the people of their community agree with this manifesto of the Congress. “Their silence shows that they are together and if they are not then they should come clean,” he remarked.

The Chief Minister said that the Congress talks about giving minorities the right to their personal law. So will the evil practice of triple talaq, which has been abolished by the Modi government, will be implemented again? Does the Congress want to Talibanise the country by implementing Sharia law? Yogi said that the Congress manifesto is a betrayal of the nation’s interests. The people of the country should consider the implications of the Congress manifesto in the upcoming five phases of elections. This is a betrayal of our trust, no one will accept it, he added.