Rajeev Chandrasekhar opined that an Indian EVM doesn’t lend itself to be hacked, as it is precisely a very limited intelligence device.

A day after a hot debate with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over how secure Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are, former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday shared an analogy of a toaster and a calculator that he said cannot be hacked.Chandrasekhar clarified that an Indian EVM does not lend itself to being hacked as it’s precisely a very narrow intelligence device. “It only counts the vote and stores the count,” he stated.

In reaction to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s criticism of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has stated that Elon Musk is factually incorrect in saying that “anything can be hacked.”Chandrasekhar told ANI, “While I respect Elon Musk and what he has achieved. I think he is factually incorrect in saying that anything can be hacked. A calculator or a toaster cannot be hacked. Therefore, there is a limit in terms of where this paradigm of hacking can extend.””EVM is not a sophisticated machine that Elon Musk is thinking of that could be hacked, and therefore, he is factually wrong.”

Emphasizing the fact that he respected Musk and his achievements, Chandrasekhar, the former minister of IT, said, “I am not an Elon Musk. But I also have a certain understanding of technology to claim that there cannot be any secure electronic or digital product in the world. It is just the same as one can say that every Tesla car can be hacked. I think that is like stretching the limits of what people understand of technology today.”

On Sunday, in a post on X, Elon Musk raised concerns about the security of the EVMs, suggesting that they should be done away with as they can be hacked by humans, or artificial intelligence (AI).In response to Elon Musk’s remark, Chandrasekhar termed the billionaire tech magnate’s criticism a “huge, sweeping generalisation” lacking any basis. The BJP leader also offered to give a tutorial to the Tesla boss validating the robustness of EVMs designed in India. To which, Musk replied with a brief remark, “anything can be hacked.”

Jumping into the debate, Shiv Sena (Shinde) MP Milind Deora on Sunday said that Elon Musk should avoid meddling in India’s democracy. In a post on X, Deorastated, “I’m a fan of @elonmusk as an innovator, but not of Silicon Valley’s #BigTech billionaires meddling in India’s democracy.Still, I asked #ChatGPT—co-founded & funded by Musk—about EVMs. Here’s their take… ”

He also added ChatGPT’s response to his query.

The ‘conversation’ reads: “Do India’s EVMs use a SIM card?” Replying to Deora’s question, the chatbot answered: “No, India’s Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) do not use SIM cards. They are standalone devices that are not connected to any network, making them immune to remote hacking. The design and function ability of EVMs ensure that they operate independently without the need for any external connectivity, which enhances their security and reliability in conducting elections.”