On social media, a video of a speech of PM Narendra Modi has gone viral. While sharing the video users claim that “Elections should be conducted using ballot papers rather than EVMs. Even the people of America use ballot paper not EVMs. —Narendra Modi before 2014.”
Moreover, several users shared this video and made similar claims. The link can be seen here, here and here
Fact Check
During the investigation, DFRAC found that the claim was false. We found a full version of this video on the official YouTube channel of ‘PM Narendra Modi’ uploaded on 3 Dec, 2016 titled “PM Modi at Parivartan Rally in New Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. In the timestamp of 55:10, it can be heard that PM Modi was condemning those who label Indians as illiterate. He went on to highlight India’s embrace of technology, citing the example of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used for elections in India, contrasting it with the use of traditional ballot papers in other countries, such as the United States.
Conclusion
It is evident from the DFRAC’s fact check that the claim that PM Modi opposed EVMs before 2014 is false. The video is from a 2016 speech in Moradabad, where he praised India’s use of EVMs and contrasted it with ballot paper use in countries like the US.
