‘Talking like Rahul Gandhi’: Pralhad Joshi takes jibe at Home Minister Parameshwara

NEW DELHI: Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday took a dig at Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stating that the latter was speaking in a manner similar to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about electronic voting machines (EVMs) despite his party’s win in Karnataka and Jharkhand Assembly elections.

“I had this impression that he is a mature person, but he is also talking like Rahul Gandhi. Parameshwara is treated as one of the mature politicians in Karnataka, but unfortunately, the perception I had of him was wrong. He has only proved it. The BJP was in the Centre when the Congress won 135 seats in Karnataka and also won Jharkhand elections, but still, they say such things”, Joshi said.

#WATCH | Delhi: On Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara’s statement that “MVA lost Maharashtra due to EVM hack”, Union Minsiter Pralhad Joshi says, “I had this impression that he is a mature person but he is also talking like Rahul Gandhi…BJP was in the centre when they won… https://t.co/fZNc2ntZjc pic.twitter.com/BwypcrSekg

— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2024

Parameshwara had alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were hacked “selectively” in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The Karnataka Home Minister, who is also the All India Congress Committee observer for Maharashtra elections, said that party leaders including former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel discussed the EVM issues and are going to appeal to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“In Maharashtra, Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have done very badly. Everybody knows it. We and some of our leaders in Maharashtra sat together and analysed yesterday. Ashok Gehlot and Baghel, former Chief Ministers and we sat together. The information we got is surprising that EVMs are hacked, not in every constituency but selectively. I believe they have hacked the EVMs. That is what we discussed. If that is true, then we don’t have to say anything about it and we are going to appeal to the Election Commission about this. The party will take a decision on that,” Parameshwara had said.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) or NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, who is in the national capital for the winter session of Parliament, said that she would discuss the issue of EVMs with the Congress. “I will speak with Congress. I am going to the INDIA alliance meeting now. We need some evidence for all this. We are working on it; we will do it”, Sule said.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar informed that he will also be going to Delhi in a few days to discuss the alleged hacking of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in Maharashtra assembly elections.

“G Parameshwara also commented on that (EVM hack). Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders are also commented. I am also going to Delhi in a few days. We will also discuss this; it is a part of national importance. The world is also looking at it. Let us all examine”, Shivakumar said. (ANI)