Invitations Were Sent to BJP and EC Too: Kapil Sibal Defends Presence at London Hackathon

New Delhi: Defending his presence at the London hackathon event which came into question by the BJP, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said invitations were sent to all, including the BJP and the Election Commission.

Addressing a press conference in London via Skype, the man, identified as Syed Suja, said that electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the 2014 elections were rigged.

After Sibal was spotted at the event, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the London presser of Shuja is a "Congress-sponsored conspiracy" designed to "defame" Indian democracy and its Election Commission.

"What was Sibal doing there? In what capacity was he present? My charge is that he was there to monitor the event for the Congress. It was a Congress-sponsored conspiracy designed to defame Indian democracy and its Election Commission," Prasad said.

Taking on Prasad, Sibal said the minister has made very "childish statements as the issue pertained to free and fair elections and the survival of democracy.

Sibal said, he attended the event after its organiser and journalist Ashish Ray sent him a personal invitation.

"Indian Journalists Association London President Ashish Ray told me he has sent invitations to all political parties including BJP and also the Election Commission. Since I know him, I told him that I would be there for some other work but I would certainly attend it and I attended it," he told reporters.

Commenting on the allegations made in the press conference by Shuja, Sibal said,"It sounds like a science fiction story to me. But, it can be verified also."

Sibal said this is an issue of free and fair elections. The issue is whether the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), can be tampered with.

"There should be an inquiry in the charges he (Shuja) has made. The Supreme Court and the law says there should be an FIR. It is your responsibility, if someone is making allegations it is important to ascertain whether the charges are right or not. If the charges are wrong, take action against him. If they are right, then it is a very serious thing," Sibal said.