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'Giving vote to non-citizens': Shashi Tharoor on Election Laws (amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha
Introducing the bill, the Union law minister said that the legislation will end bogus voting in the country and make the electoral process more credible.
The Centre on Monday introduced the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to link Aadhaar to electoral rolls to weed out duplication. It was introduced by Union minister Kiren Rijiju in the Lok Sabha (or lower house) of Parliament and proposes to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Introducing the bill, the Union law minister said that the legislation will end bogus voting in the country and make the electoral process more credible.
However, the opposition parties criticised the bill saying it infringes the fundamental rights of citizens.
During the debate, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor spoke against the bill as he said that Aadhaar, a 12-digit unique identity number that contains biometric and demographic information of citizens, is "only meant to be proof of residence and not proof of citizenship".
"If you are in a position asking for Aadhaar for voters, all you are getting is a document that reflects residence, not citizenship. You're potentially giving the vote to non-citizens," Tharoor also said.
The opposition members also alleged that the bill will violate the Supreme Court judgment on Aadhaar.
The bill seeks to allow electoral registration officers to seek the Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters "for the purpose of establishing the identity".
