*Anil Vij Takes Dig at Mayawati Over EVM Remarks, Questions Opposition on Electoral Rolls*

*“Blaming EVMs is like a child blaming the teacher, school and bench after failing an exam,” - Anil Vij*

*“Congress is running a campaign against autonomous institutions; Rahul Gandhi is being guided by the same authoritarian legacy of Indira Gandhi,” - Vij*

Chandigarh, September 30: Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday took a dig at BSP supremo Mayawati over her remarks calling for the discontinuation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), saying that blaming EVMs after an electoral defeat was like a child blaming the teacher, school and even the bench after failing an examination.

Vij was speaking to reporters when asked about Mayawati’s statement that EVMs should be discontinued if free and fair elections are to be held in the country.

Responding to the statement, Vij said that “This is like a child who fails in school and comes home crying that the teacher was bad, the school was bad and even the bench was bad.” He said that when the Opposition wins elections, it does not raise such objections, citing Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala as examples.

On allegations regarding voter lists, Vij said that if the Opposition believes that the voter lists are incorrect, then all MPs and MLAs who won elections in the states concerned should resign. “If they believe the voter lists are wrong, they should resign and then come out on the streets,” he said.

*Vij Accuses Congress of Campaign Against Autonomous Institutions*

Reacting to remarks by senior lawyer and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal questioning the functioning of the Supreme Court and alleging that courts were ignoring his concerns, Vij accused the Congress of running a campaign against the country’s autonomous institutions and said that he had stated on several occasions that the Congress was questioning various independent institutions, including the courts, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Election Commission.

He further alleged that the Congress was raising questions over these institutions because Rahul Gandhi was leading the party. Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s family background, Vij alleged that he was carrying forward what he described as the “authoritarian legacy” of his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and accused the Congress of seeking to weaken democratic institutions. Vij maintained that repeated questioning of autonomous institutions was part of what he described as a broader campaign by the Congress against them.