Why did India Take Elon Musk’s statement on EVM security personally?

Elon Musk and Rajeev Chandrashekhar exchanged some bitter words on X. Elon Musk’s statement was not basically for India, still some ruling party supporters criticized him. 

Do you know what happens when someone spreads fuel on fire? Let’s explore; 

In Indian politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) frequently clash over the efficiency and security of EVMs. This issue is a hot topic for both the ruling and opposition parties.

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The opposition, including the INC, Samajwadi Party (SP), and other parties, accuses the ruling BJP of hacking the EVMs. They often demand a ban on the use of Electronic Voting Machines in elections. They argue that the integrity of the electoral process is compromised due to alleged tampering and manipulation of the machines.

In contrast, the BJP asserts that EVMs are one hundred percent hack-free. They defend the use of these machines, claiming that the technology is secure and reliable and that allegations of hacking are unfounded. 

This feud between different political parties in India has been burning for years. Now, X, formerly known as Twitter owner and Tesla, Inc. founder and CEO Elon Musk, has spread some fuel on the fire by raising a question on EVMs’ security.

However, Elon Musk’s statement was not specifically directed at India or its political landscape. Still, some people have the passion to take the flying arrow in their bum. Now, some people praise Elon, while others criticize him. Some Indian politicians strongly agree with Musk, while others oppose him.

Elon Musk’s Statement or X post

Mr. Musk shared a post on his mini-blogging site, X, regarding the elections in Puerto Rico. His post read, “We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high.”

This was his simple suggestion for the United States lawmakers. It is unclear if he received any response from the United States Election Commission or authorities. However, his statement sparked reactions from millions of Indians.

Elon Musk vs Rajeev Chandrasekhar X war 

Many big personalities reacted to Elon Musk’s statement, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar got huge limelight. He completely disagreed with Elon Musk’s post and claimed that Indian EVMs cannot be hacked. 

Mr. Chandrasekhar replied to Musk’s post, “Wrong. @elonmusk’s view may apply to the US and other places where they use regular compute platforms to build Internet connected voting machines… but Indian EVMs are custom designed, secure and isolated from any network or media… Electronic Voting Machines can be architected and built right as India has done.” 

Elon Musk, who took technology to new heights, also replied to Chandrashekhar based on his experience. He just said, “Anything can be hacked.” 

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Mr. Chandrasekhar then conceded that while “any level of encryption” on a computer system can be broken with sufficient power, EVM integrity was “a different type of conversation,” adding “we can agree to disagree”. 

Who is Rajeev Chandrasekhar?

Mr. Chandrasekhar is an Indian entrepreneur and technocrat. He is also known for his services as the Minister of State for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. 

He has been an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party in government. However, he currently has no ministry or prominent position in the party. 

Rahul Gandhi Supports Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s statement once again opened the wounds of the opposition, which is again repeating its question on the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines. 

Main opposition face, Rahul Gandhi, attached a news report in reply to Musk’s X post. The news was about some discrepancies during Indian General Elections. The report reveals that some BJP candidate’s relative was opening EVMs via cell phone. 

Mr. Gandhi also wrote, “EVMs in India are a “black box,” and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process.” 

He added, “Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability.”

BJP MP’s request to ECI

Recently a BJP MP from Rajamahendravaram, Daggubati Purandeswari, has added a new layer to the online feud. In her X post, she is appealing to ECI to invite Mr. Musk in India to attempt hacking EVMs. 

However, the Election Commision of India has not responded to her till now. Let’s see how they react. 

In all this chaos, one thing is clear: the free advertisement of X. All are fighting with Musk on his own platform. Lol. 

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