8011 - Yechury Aadhaar concern - Telegraph India

Yechury Aadhaar concern

Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, May 20: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury today wrote to the chief election commissioner, protesting against what he called the poll panel's drive to link Aadhaar numbers with electoral cards and voicing fears that the data collected could be misused. In his letter, Yechury said the commission had "clarified" through a press communiqué that Aadhaar card details were "voluntary and not a compulsory requirement for being enrolled on the voters list". But the panel's drive to link the two "seems to suggest" that it has decided in making the card a "mandatory requirement for the exercise of franchise", he said. He also reminded the chief election commissioner of a Supreme Court verdict that said Aadhaar cards couldn't be made mandatory for voting. The letter expressed fears that the data collected by the commission could be misused. "The data collected by the EC and linking it up with the Aadhaar card of every voter is a huge data base... which could be put to illegal use for discriminating against a section of bonafide citizens on grounds that are patently proscribed by our Constitution," Yechury said. "Given the current misapprehensions on this score, may I request to clarify the ECI's position with urgency on this score," he added. Yechury urged the poll panel chief to reiterate that Aadhaar details were not mandatory for the exercise of franchise and issue necessary directions to officials engaged in collecting the data.