New Delhi: Amidst the massive protests by opposition parties, the ‘Election Laws (Amendment) Bill’, intending to bring changes to the electoral laws to allow linking of the Aadhaar card to the voter ID-card were passed in the Lok Sabha, on Monday. Opposition parties alleged that the move is made to allow the seeding of the Aadhaar card with one’s voter ID or electoral card could lead to more non-citizens voting in the country.
‘Aadhaar was meant to be proof of residence, not proof of citizenship. If you are asking an Aadhar card for the voter, all you get is a document that reflects residence. You are potentially giving voting rights to non-citizens’, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor pointed out in the Lok Sabha. Trinamool Congress leader Saugato Roy alleged that the central government is interfering in the election process and pointed out that Aadhaar cards are issued by the government to all citizens.
‘Voting is a legal right. Linking of Aadhaar with voter ID is wrong’, Congress leader, Manish Tewari said. Opposition MPs voiced their objections to the proposed election reforms against the backdrop of unceasing slogan-shouting by their colleagues demanding Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s sacking over allegations that his son mowed over farmers in Uttar Pradesh.
The government termed that the opposition’s objections are misguided and baseless. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed that the opposition should support the government in such a move. ‘The government wants to stop bogus voting and fake voting’, he said. As the arguments and slogan-shouting continued, the house was adjourned for around two hours.
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