Yechury termed the exercise by electoral officers as “strange” and expressed concern about the possible misuse of such a database.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury termed the exercise by electoral officers as “strange” and expressed concern about the possible misuse of such a database.
By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: May 21, 2015 1:53 am
Expressing “serious concern” on efforts to reportedly link voters’ database with the information furnished by Aadhaar card holders, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, saying such a linkage may result in “gross abuse” of this data.
“I am writing to you expressing my serious concern, based on reports that the state election officers have sent out teams, like those who do the voter enumeration, to collect the Aadhaar card details of the voters. Though the Election Commission has some time ago clarified that Aadhaar card details are voluntary and not a compulsory requirement for being enrolled on the voters list, this practice, as I mentioned above, seems to suggest that the EC has decided in making the Aadhaar card as a mandatory requirement for the exercise of franchise,” Yechury said.
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He also reminded the CEC of the Supreme Court directive that had clearly stated that Aadhaar cannot be made a mandatory criterion for availing services or benefits.
Yechury termed the exercise by electoral officers as “strange” and expressed concern about the possible misuse of such a database.
“The data collected by the Election Commission and linking it up with the Aadhaar card of every voter is a huge database, possibly the largest database in any country of the world, which could be put to illegal use for discriminating against a section of bonafide citizens on grounds that are patently proscribed by our Constitution. I am sure that the Election Commission would not lend itself to such gross abuse of the database it possesses of the Indian electorate through such linking up with the Aadhaar card,” he said.
First Published on: May 21, 2015 1:36 am