India - fascist Modi's regime can stopped only with Party-United Front- PLGA

Freedom in peril

The government’s passage of the Aadhaar Bill in complete disregard of even basic parliamentary procedures and in subversion of an ongoing judicial process puts at risk a number of constitutional rights and liberties of citizens. The benefits cited are just ploys to realise a neoliberal dream. By R. RAMAKUMAR

“Congressmen are dancing as if [Aadhaar] was a herb for all cures. With the Supreme Court pulling up the Centre, people are now seeking answers from the Prime Minister who should disclose how much money had been spent... and who had benefited from it.” Thus spoke the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on the Aadhaar project in 2013. However, as Prime Minister, it is as if Modi has suddenly realised the value of the “herb”. His National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has passed the Aadhaar Bill in Parliament.
Three points are worth noting. First, the passage of the Bill was nothing but a travesty of democracy. Such has been Modi’s commitment to Aadhaar that even basic parliamentary procedures were disregarded completely. The passage of the Bill also constituted the subversion of an ongoing judicial process. Secondly, the Bill has a number of provisions that put to risk, and offer no protection to, a number of constitutional rights and liberties of citizens. Thirdly, the financial savings that the government has claimed from the usage of Aadhaar, based on which the idea has been sold, are based on wrong data.