New Delhi, April 2 Indian Overseas Congress chief, Satyanarayan Pitroda, popularly known as 'Sam', on Thursday commented on the electoral process in India, saying he is "not convinced that elections in the country are conducted in a free and fair manner."
"There is something not right with the whole process. Whether it is Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), electronic tampering, software modifications, voter lists, video recording, when you put the entire process together, you find that there are many different points where you can manipulate," Pitroda told IANS.
He said, "I believe some of it is happening. How much of it, where, is difficult to pinpoint, because there may not be one thing at one place, but there may be something else somewhere else. So, I'm not convinced that elections in India are free and fair. I have lost trust."
Regarding the country's stance on the ongoing West Asia conflict, he told IANS that India has not taken the "moral high ground".
"We have really aligned with rich and powerful aggressor," he added.
Speaking about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Pitroda said, "I want to use AI to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty."
Moreover, he said that AI should be used to reduce the size of the government. "But you can't talk like that because everybody will be upset at you."
According to Pitroda, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi's stand today will be similar to what late Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru would have taken.
He said, "If Nehru ji and others, who were a part of the Non-Aligned Movement, were alive today, what's the stand they would have taken? So that is the stand I think Rahul Gandhi would take. He would rise above party lines, above politics, he would speak for the people, non-violence, and peace."
The Indian Overseas Congress chief, also spoke about the support on Muslim reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
He said, "Muslims should also be granted. Okay, but I can tell you that everybody needs help at the bottom of the pyramid."
Further, he said, "I'm a son of an OBC. I didn't know that. In my generation, nobody worried about it. I never knew that until, you know, I graduated from here and worked and somebody said, oh, you are OBC. I said, oh, yeah."
"I think when you talk about, you know, benefits to OBCs and Muslims and all education and health should be almost free," he added.
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