After Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal demanded for reverting to ballot papers for municipal polls in Delhi on Wednesday, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare lashes out at his former protégé saying it would be a retrograde step.
“In times when great technological advancement is taking place, returning to ballot papers will be a retrograde step,” he said a TV news channel at his village, Ralegan Siddhi.
“EVMs should not be done away with. Those who are voicing doubt over the machines are trying to take us back in time,” he states, adding that voting through ballot papers was a time-consuming method.
Hazare and Kejriwal were together during the protests for anti-corruption supervisory body Lokpal. However, they parted ways after the Kejriwal chose to take a dive into politics.
The Delhi chief minister has questioned the reliability of electronic voting machines after AAP’s humiliating defeat in Punjab and Goa polls. He said EVM tampering may have led to the their poor showing in Punjab.
