Hours after the Supreme Court rejected all petitions seeking 100 percent verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) votes with their Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the verdict saying that it is as a “tight slap” on Opposition bloc INDIA.

He said that the opposition must “apologise” for committing the “sin of creating distrust” against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Also Read:‘We can’t control elections’, says Supreme Court, reserves order in VVPAT case

While addressing a poll rally in Bihar’s Araria Lok Sabha constituency, he took a dig at the opposition for attempting to “steal” reservations meant for OBCs, SCs, and STs “for the sake of their favorite vote bank of Muslims”.

PM Modi alleged that when the Congress, the RJD, and other Indian bloc parties were in power, the poor, backward, and Dalits used to be deprived of their votes through booth capture.

But since the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines, they can’t do that anymore. So, they started spreading distrust about EVMs, he said.

Also Read:“We all know what happened…” says SC as it calls for cross-verification with VVPAT slips

“But today, the highest court of the country has delivered a verdict a few hours earlier which comes as a tight slap (karara tamacha) on these parties,” Modi said in reference to Supreme Court’s verdict on cross-vote verification today.

Modi also accused the grand old party of “stealing” reservations meant for the OBCs and diverting the benefits to Muslims in Karnataka, where the party holds power. He claimed that Congress sought to replicate this “conspiracy” across the country, including in Bihar, where its ally has remained silent on the matter in the southern state.

Attacking the previous Manmohan Singh-led government at the Centre, alleging them of granting their “assent” for reservations to Muslims. He further criticised the Congress and its “ecosystem” for “trying to browbeat me, without success”.

Targetting the Congress manifesto for allegedly bearing “the imprint of the Muslim League,” Modi reiterated the party’s “injustice towards Hindus stands exposed.”

“I say poor people have the first claim on the country’s resources. Congress, RJD and their allies say the first claim is of their vote bank. They want to steal your belongings, even mangalsutras of women,” the Prime Minister said.