Editor,
Most people in Meghalaya have been thrown into a welter of anxieties regarding the issue of Aadhar given that it was previously reported that Meghalaya was being exempted from its purview. Of late, however, it has been made known that Aadhar has become mandatory nation-wide in order to avail public benefits, for banking transactions, filing of income tax returns etc. And in sequel of this fresh order, I see common people, government employees and even Catholic priests and nuns jostling for space to get themselves included in the Aadhar registration.
However, it is mind-blowing to recount that a few months back a lawyer who goes by the name of Shyam Divan had in his stellar submission legally argued that by making Aadhar compulsory the BJP led NDA govt. has arguably promulgated a sweeping regimentation more oppressive than what our fore-fathers had experienced in the last colonial era. Divan has further emphasized that by way of letting finger prints imprinted and scanning of our iris on a certain mechanical device, we are virtually renouncing our basic Right to Privacy and by virtue of this self-assertive action we are literally transforming ourselves into a dog tethered under an electronic leash being pursued and tracked by the powers that be, throughout our life span, thereby any inalienable rights premised on privacy are ironically robbed off in this democratic Republic, of the world’s largest democracy founded on the sufferings of our patriots nearly a century ago.
Those selfless leaders must now be turning in their graves at the grim thought that now we are conversely ruled, not served, by our own elected-welfare govt. since we have been obliged to disown the core components of our body. Indeed, this govt. has initiated a violence of sorts against another individual by imposing this Aadhar regime.
I’m afraid that, through the mechanism of Aadhhar, free speech, right to self-acquired property and legally disposing the same are at risk. The essence of the Constitution is to check-mate the dictatorial powers of the state from being a voracious parasite on its own denizens or to arbitrarily send anyone to jail for the expression free speech a la the student leaders of JNU some months back; or if one eats his/her choice of food being repugnant to the majoritarian Hindu Rashtra, led by Praveen Togadia, the VHP leader, who the BJP dreadfully fear lest they lose the 2019 elections.
Had Modi been sitting in the opposition bench in Parliament, he could, with his gift of the gab, have successfully torn to shreds any attempt to even initiate the idea of Aadhar.
However, since presently he is at the helm, things have dramatically turned otherwise. Being apprehensive, as I am of this Aadhar scheme, that it might have adverse impact especially on us the tribals, and being in concurrence with what the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated on June 17h last that: “The poorest of the poor, the marginalized people will be the worst sufferers if Aadhar is made mandatory unilaterally,” I, therefore, as of now would prefer to exclude myself from the parameters of the latter.
Significantly, the implementation of this scheme could assuredly put the political rivals on the back foot and perceptively the ploy would turn out to be a political game of one –upmanship. And given the prevalent social circumstances vis-à-vis Aadhar, I personally agree to a fault what John Locke, the 17th Century English philosopher had said: “Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has any right to but himself.”
Yours etc.,
Jerome K. Diengdoh
Shillong – 2
