Narendra Modi expresses concern over 'needless controversy' over EVMs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed concern over the needless controversy created by the Opposition over EVMs at a meeting of NDA leaders even as the ruling alliance laid out its agenda for the next five years if it is elected to power againAt the BJPled ruling alliance meeting which was attended by 36 parties a resolution was passed terming the 2019 general election decisive for the country and pledging to make India strong developed prosperous and inclusive by 2022 when India completes 75 years of its independence party leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh told reportersDelhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Ashoka Hotel for NDA leaders dinner pictwittercomx61nLViT6Omdash ANI ANI May 21 2019The BJPled NDA meeting is being seen as its show of strength and projection of a united front by the ruling alliance ahead of counting of votes on May 23 following which a new government will assume chargeIn his address Modi stressed on the need to change the narrative from caste lines and orient it for the poor Singh saidThe prime minister expressed concern over the Opposition making needless controversy over electronic voting machines the home minister saidEarlier Tuesday leaders of 22 opposition parties met the Election Commission and demanded verification of VVPAT slips of randomlyselected polling stations before the counting of the votesThe opposition representation to the EC came barely two days before the counting of votes and after exit poll projections that the BJPled NDA is likely to return to powerBihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami were among the BJP allies who attended the dinnermeeting hosted by BJP chief Amit Shah Union minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan proposed the resolutionPaswan who joined Singh in the media briefing too dismissed Oppositions protest over EVMs as a case of collective frustration over their impending defeat and also warned them of tit for tatHe did not elaborate on what he meant by that The Lok Janshakti Party chief said Modi turned emotional when he mentioned the political violence targeting BJP workers in states of Kerala and West BengalShah had hosted another meeting for Union ministers earlier on Tuesday The BJP described the meeting as an occasion to thank ministers for their service to the nationThe NDA resolution also expressed its concern over the systematic assault by the Opposition on institutions ranging from the CAG Election Commission and judiciary to police and armed forcesModi described the NDA as an alliance of Indias hope and aspirations saying it has become an organic entity like a family and is representative of the countrys regional aspirationsThe NDA leaders at the meeting which was presided by Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal felicitated the prime minister and praised his council of ministers for their workThe resolution expressed confidence that the NDA will come back to power under Modi and said its government planned a capital investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure while Rs 25 lakh crore will be devoted to farm and rural sectorsHailing Modis leadership and expressing faith in him the resolution adopted by NDA leaders said their alliance is a true representative of Indias diversity and dynamismIt is the alliance that manifests the dreams and aspirations of 130 crore Indians Today the NDA has become the principal pole in Indian politicsUnder the leadership of PM Modi the NDA government has futureproofed India which means the creation of nextgeneration roads railways highways iways and ports infrastructure that caters to the needs of the present and coming generations it saidDelhi Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrive at Ashoka Hotel for NDA leaders dinner pictwittercomV8eynhA42Imdash ANI ANI May 21 2019The NDA the resolution added stands as a bulwark against the votebank politics and oldschool political thinking of the Opposition whose 20thcentury politics has not cut ice with the young voters of the 21st centuryThe last five years were about fulfilling the basic needs of the people now is the time to further increase the pace of progress and meet the aspirations of the people it saidIt also praised the outgoing governments development and welfare initiativesSingh said its work on the security and diplomatic fronts have ensured that India is no longer seen as a soft state by the worldWe resolved that once again under the leadership of PM Modi by 2022 when India marks 75 years of freedom it is our endeavour to fulfil the dreams of our great freedom fighters and give shape to the strong prosperous developed and inclusive India they dreamt of it saidBihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar onTuesday termed as bogus the doubts raised by politicalparties about misuse of EVMsThe chief minister said the use of EVMs has broughtabout a lot of transparency in the electoral processPolitical groups tend to make such bogus allegationswhen faced with defeat EVMs have been in use since muchbefore the Modi government took over I have always been infavour of these since this technology has brought about a lotof transparency in the electoral process he saidKumar who also heads the JDU made the commentbefore leaving for Delhi to attend a meeting of the NDA onopposition parties raising concerns over reports of allegedtampering of EVMsBesides representatives of 36 NDA constituents Singh said leaders of three other parties also sent their letters of support at the alliance meetingCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get the latest updatesEdited by midday online desk with inputs from Agencies