BMM Letter to Indian Prime Minister on Aadhaar Card Compulsions

Date: 30^th May 2017

To,

Mr. Narendra Modi,

Prime Minister of India,

South Block, Raisina Hill.
New Delhi-110011.

Fax: +91-11-23019545,  23016857.

Subject: Revocation of Aadhaar Card Compulsions

Dear Mr. Narendra Modi,

It has come to our attention that you were totally against Aadhaar Card before your were elected Prime Minister of India and had even written to government authorities protesting concepts of Aadhaar Card promoted by then Manmohan Singh led Congress government. On 26.09.2013 few days after Supreme Court order against Aadhaar Card scheme you had also publicly attacked Aadhaar Card in BJP’s election campaign public meeting prior to the Lok Sabha elections. Videos of you speaking against Aadhaar are widely circulated on Whatsapp and now your government’s enforcement of the same is truly unfortunate.

We question as to why you have not scrapped Aaddhar Card even though you have completed three years in office as Prime Minister of India. Instead of cancellation your government has provided legal sanctions to the dangerous Aadhaar card by passing Aadhaar Act as Money Bill in the Lok Sabha stifling all the dissent and debate. Even this law does not make Aadhaar Card compulsory but voluntary. The trend to links up Aadhaar card to bank account and to PAN are dangerous.

Several government institutions of the Government like Provident Fund of India, Medical Collages, Banks, Public Distribution Services (ration), LPG distribution services are making Aadhaar card number compulsory. You have maintained before last Lok Sabha elections Aadhaar card is security threat to the nation and we agree with that. But why instead of shutting of Aadhaar card you are encouraging this even further? Why didn’t you shut down Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) set up by Congress Party in power? This only shows that your government is no different from Congress government in this matter and you have taken U-turn in your actions.

This is illegal, arbitrary and dangerous placing lives of People of India in tremendous risk.

We also wish to bring to your attention that Government of India has informed Supreme Court of India on May 03, 2017 that Aadhaar data has been leaked and this has been reported in various media. We share one report link http://www.news18.com/news/india/yes-aadhaar-data-were-leaked-centre-to-supreme-court-1390919.html for your perusal. Several crores of Aadhaar numbers are leaked according to the study conducted by Centre of Internet and Society based in Bangalore with links : http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/nformation-security-practices-of-aadhaar-or-lack-of-a-documentation-of-public-availability-of-aadhaar-numbers-with-sensitive-personal-fianacial-information-1

You are requested to reverse this decision and eliminate requirement of Aadhaar card in India not withstanding as to how much expenditure has already been made. Lives of Indian people are precious but Aadhaar card treats it as casual. We found your approach to Aadhaar card is also casual. Before the elections you opposed and then after elections you supported. There is no integrity in what you speak and what you do as proved from Aadhaar card stands you changed time and again.   

You may very well take the statement of Senior Lawyer Shyam Diwan on May 03, 2017 in Supreme Court very seriously as we have taken it too, “Civil rights movement was started by a woman who was made to sit at the back of a bus. Nobody asked her to make a big deal of this.”

Stick to what you spoke at the Public meetings before last Parliament Elections. Video of your speech on 26.09.2013 is getting circulated widely on Whatsapp and you must have seen it too.

Crores of citizens data is already leaked you are doing nothing about it nor UIDAI is doing anything about it. This is a reflection of complete irresponsibility in managing collected private data of residents in India. There is also information in circulation that corporate in India already posses Aadhaar data as it was collected without law. The Law that Lok Sabha passed is incapable of preventing leakage of citizens/residents data gathered from Aadhaar enrollment.

Awaiting your quick action to scrap entire edifice of Aadhaar Card and restore security of every Indian currently under threat from Aadhaar card.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

       

        Sd/- 

Maggie Silveira,

President, Goa Unit