By Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
Time for the Lutyens’ Log and Khan Market Liberals to shut up on allegations that Indian Democracy was under a threat and/or Electronic Voting Machines were unreliable and Modi administration was misusing them to win in elections. Why are they silent? Have they actually shut up realizing their demonic prognosis’ and defamatory accusations? No, it is typical hypocrisy that has shut them up for now. Their allegations are in suspended animation and may rise its head after Rajadthan, Madhya Pradesh. Wait and watch this space.
While ‘they’ go to town celebrating the triumph of INC over BJP in Karnataka, typically, they have not conceded that ‘democracy had triumphed too’ and all their agenda oriented propaganda was hogwash. West is not comfortable with India’s economic advancement. We are an outlier amidst the the economic travails faced by the West and even China. The Economist conceded India was ahead as the fastest growing economy. And Fareed Zakaria, CNN columnist, more aligned with Khan Market Log, gaped at the economic miracle India was proving to be. He subtly caveated his piece that only ‘inclusivity’ was missing. Despite all such misgivings that the continued refrain since 2014 that Indian democracy was in peril, the thumping win for INC must send a message to the false equivalents and alternate facts making ‘news.
Time to remember this. In March 2021, Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, alleging that the network had defamed the company by repeatedly making false and defamatory claims about its voting machines in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Dominion’s lawsuit alleged that Fox News’ false claims had damaged the company’s reputation and business, and that the network had acted with actual malice in making the claims.
Fox News denied the allegations, and the case was set to go to trial in April 2023.
However, just days before the trial was scheduled to begin, Fox News and Dominion announced that they had reached a settlement.
Under the terms of the settlement, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million.Fox News also agreed to issue a statement acknowledging that Dominion’s voting machines were not responsible for any irregularities in the 2020 election.
The settlement was a major victory for Dominion, and it sent a strong message that there will be consequences for those who spread false and defamatory information about the company.
The settlement between Fox News and Dominion is a significant development in the ongoing debate about the 2020 election. It is a reminder that the First Amendment does not protect false and defamatory speech, and that those who spread such speech can be held accountable. The settlement also sends a message to other media outlets that they should be careful about the claims they make about election fraud.
Imagine ECI filing a suit against the agenda driven Lutyens’ media. They would be bankrupted for their false allegations against Electronic Voting Machines, led by the irrepressible Arvind Kejriwal, he of the now antiquated. anti-corruption crusader label. The silence from the malevolent and malafide motives is eloquent. Forget it, it is stored in the closet for safe-keeping for the rainy day which may come within a few months from now.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been used in India for over two decades now, and there have been allegations of malfunctioning and fraud. However, there is no evidence to support these claims. In fact, EVMs have been found to be very reliable and secure.
One of the most common allegations against EVMs is that they can be tampered with. However, there is no evidence to support this claim. EVMs are tamper-proof and have been certified by independent experts. They are also subject to rigorous testing before they are used in elections.
Another allegation against EVMs is that they can be used to commit fraud. However, there is no evidence to support this claim either. EVMs are very secure and have been designed to prevent fraud. They are also monitored by independent observers throughout the voting process.
In fact, there have been several cases where EVMs have been challenged in court. However, these challenges have all been dismissed. The courts have found that there is no evidence to support the allegations of malfunctioning or fraud.
The allegations against EVMs are unfounded and there is no evidence to support them. EVMs are reliable and secure and have been used successfully in India for over two decades. Here are some of the reasons why EVMs are reliable and secure:
They are tamper-proof.They are certified by independent experts.They are subject to rigorous testing before they are used in elections. CEC after CEC have refuted these allegations for what they are – false and sour grapes’.
They are monitored by independent observers throughout the voting process.
Here are some of the reasons why the allegations against EVMs are unfounded:
There is no evidence to support the allegations of malfunctioning or fraud.
The allegations have been challenged in court and dismissed.
EVMs have been used successfully in India for over two decades.There is not a shred of evidence to support the allegations that EVMs are malfunctioning or used to commit fraud. EVMs are reliable and secure and have been used successfully in India for over two decades.
The allegations were manufactured for convenience. It is understandable when the disgruntled and losing political class puts it up. What of the so called independent media? Hardly independent. They take sides. News is no longer sacrosanct. It is agenda driven. And it a shame that the section of media which indulged in such skulduggery is supposedly css as lord ‘ Liberals’. They are anything but liberal. It is an anachronism and oxymoron when attributed to them.
Well, America is facing the blast of Wokism. Those in the middle, sensible, independent and moderate too are furious. The silence from the Wokes, led by the slanted media, is eloquent and it is good for India, for BJP to lose to win the ‘democracy! battle.
( Writer is practicing advocate in the Madras High Court)