AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 12973 - My views on Aadhaar linkage won’t embarrass BJP leadership: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.

On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.

In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.

In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.

In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.

"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi

Ram Krishnaswamy

Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

12973 - My views on Aadhaar linkage won’t embarrass BJP leadership: Rajeev Chandrasekhar - TNN

My views on Aadhaar linkage won’t embarrass BJP leadership: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

TNN | Updated: Mar 13, 2018, 07:59 IST

BENGALURU: Outgoing Independent MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is now a primary BJP member and the party’s official candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka, told TOI that chief minister Siddaramaiah is invoking Kannada pride when polls are nearing. Happy to join the saffron party, he said the move will help him turn his ideas into reality.

The BJP nominated you for Rajya Sabha after a lot of dilly-dallying. Are you happy?

I am excited that BJP has considered me for the third term of RS at a time when the clamour for urban governance reforms has just started growing. Since my politics is 50-60% about Bengaluru, I am happy that I can work with a political party whose focus is on improving governance in cities and make them smart.

What really made the party consider your candidature?

Lobbying won’t work with the Modi-Shah team. Perhaps, leaders in the BJP knew my work as I have a distinguished track record as an MP since 2006 and my attendance level in Parliament is high. I was the one who raised 2G and NPS scams. Arun Jaitley had once described me as the ‘de jure’ partyman of BJP and called me a de facto BJP MP. Party leaders were also impressed with my work and vision for improving cities.

You have been an independent MP for two consecutive terms. Now you have joined a party with a right-wing ideology...

I joined BJP knowing fully well that the party’s ideology and my political values are almost complete, consistent and congressional. I do understand that by joining BJP I will lose the freedom that I enjoyed as an Independent MP and that I need to work under many bosses both at the state and national levels. But I am willing to accept that change to achieve the large goal. The advantage of joining BJP is that I can finally turn my ideas into reality after struggling for 12 years.

Congress is looking to invoke Kannada pride by fielding only locals in the RS polls. Will it have an impact in the upcoming assembly elections since BJP has preferred a non-Kannadiga?

It’s sad and pathetic that the Siddaramaiah government has been invoking regional pride ahead of the assembly polls. I have lived in Bengaluru for 40 years and I don’t need to prove that I belong here. The irony, though, is that Siddaramaiah himself as MLA had voted for me when I contested the RS polls in 2006. Belated Kannada wisdom seems to have dawned on him now.

But voters won’t buy any such narratives and will go with the party which speaks of issues like traffic, women security, law and order and farmers’ suicides. For voters, how government ensures that their children don’t get beaten up by Congress thugs is more important than locals getting tickets.

LATEST COMMENT

adhar - waste of time

anonymous

What’s your stand now on PM Narendra Modi’s policy of linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phones as you had challenged it in the Supreme Court?

My views on Aadhaar are not inconsistent and I have no intention to embarrass anyone. I believe some form of Aadhaar should be there but my only worry is about the possible leakage of information from the Aadhaar database. I have been fighting legally to incorporate the informed consent clause in the Aadhaar Act.