New Delhi: Amid uproar by the opposition, Lok Sabha on Monday passed ‘The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ by a voice vote.
‘The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ seeks to allow electoral registration officers to seek the Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters “for the purpose of establishing identity.”
The Bill also seeks to allow the electoral registration officers to get Aadhaar numbers from “persons already included in the electoral roll for the purposes of authentication of entries in the electoral roll and to identify registration of the name of the same person in the electoral roll of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said in the Lok Sabha, “Aadhaar only meant to be proof of residence. It’s not proof of citizenship. If you are in a position asking Aadhaar for voters, all you are getting is a document that reflects residence, not citizenship. You are potentially giving the vote to non-citizens.”
Following the government’s introduction of the bill Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the Lok Sabha, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said that this Bill should be sent to Standing Committee. This has a lot of legal drawbacks. It is against the Supreme Court verdict and one which violates our privacy. This might strip off lakhs of people of their electoral rights.”
Reacting to the introduction of the bill, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that the Centre is curtailing the independence of the Election Commission by bringing the legislation.
N.K. Premchandran, Member of Parliament from Kerala said that he opposed the introduction of this bill on constitutional grounds and he opposes it on procedural grounds for passage. He said that MPs weren’t even allowed a chance to propose amendments. “What is parliamentary democracy? What is the use of debate?” he questioned in the house.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju responded by saying that he desired a calm discussion on this important bill but the opposition has responded by creating a ruckus. He also said that since the bill is important for electoral reforms and its been thoroughly examined, referring the same to a parliamentary committee is not needed.
He also cited the findings of the Standing Committee on law in support of his submission and that the law is not of the Government’s own initiative.
(With Agency inputs)