On Tuesday, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was passed in the Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The Bill which was already passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday seeks to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem. The government says that the Bill will link the electoral roll with Aadhaar on a voluntary basis to root out multiple enrolments.
In Parliament, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said linking Aadhaar with the voter ID card is voluntary. “It is not compulsory or mandatory,” he reiterated.
However, several Opposition parties was not happy and they walked out in protest. Opposition parties, including Congress, BSP and the AIMIM say the provisions would violate the right of privacy of the citizens. Here we try to understand what are the issues the Opposition parties are raising and what is their core objection.
Arguments given against the Bill
Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it would curb people’s personal liberty and infringe on the fundamental rights of citizens.
He said that the country did not have a data protection law and demanded that the Bill be sent to the Standing Committee for scrutiny.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor opposed the Bill saying Aadhaar was only meant to be a proof of residence, but not a proof of citizenship.
Opposition claims Aadhaar linkage will enable non-citizens to vote. Shashi Tharoor argued that it was potentially giving the vote to non-citizens.
Manish Tewari of Congress said that linking voter IDs with Aadhaar violates the fundamental right to privacy as defined by the Supreme Court in the judgment.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said the government would use voter identity details for ‘disenfranchising some people and profile the citizens’.
The linking of voter ID with Aadhaar violates the fundamental right to privacy defined in Puttaswamy case, Asaduddin Owaisi said.
CPM argues Bill could violate secrecy of the vote undermining the principle of secret ballots and the fundamental right to privacy of the voter.
Government’s argument for bringing the Bill?
The government says Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 incorporates various electoral reforms that have been discussed for a long time.
The government says linking Aadhaar with electoral rolls will solve the problem of multiple enrolments of the same person at different places.
The electoral roll data system will instantly alert the existence of previous registration(s) whenever a person applies for new registration.
Linking of Aadhaar number with voter ID-card would streamline alterations in EPIC during change of ordinary residence by the electors.
The Bill has a provision whereby the new applicant may voluntarily provide Aadhaar number along with the application for the purpose of identity.
No application will be rejected on the grounds that Aadhaar number has not been provided, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Monday.
