BJP, Oppn spar over PC’s presence in panel

At a Parliamentary standing committee meeting to discuss privacy and national security issues related to Aadhaar, Opposition members on Wednesday protested a move by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members to ask committee chairman P Chidambaram to recuse himself from the proceedings.

The Parliamentary standing committee on Home Affairs is examining the subject “national security and privacy concerns related to Aadhaar”, from October 24. It is one of the eight subjects that the committee had identified to be discussed at its meetings this year, and has spent four meetings on it. However, five of the BJP members of the committee, including Chandigarh Lok Sabha MP Kirron Kher, asked that Chidambaram recuse himself from chairing the discussion on Aadhaar. Chidambaram heads the committee.

The BJP members have argued that Chidambaram fiduciary interest in the issue as he is representing his Rajya Sabha colleague Jairam Ramesh in the Supreme Court on a petition that challenges the Speaker’s decision to certify the Aadhaar Bill as a money Bill. The BJP members have asked that either Chidambaram recuse himself, or allow the parliamentary standing committee on information technology to take up the issue.

A united Opposition pointed out that the BJP members woke up to the fact of Chidambaram representing Ramesh in the Supreme Court after the committee has already discussed the issue in four meetings. It also resisted the BJP move to demand that Chidambaram withdraw from the proceedings. In the meeting, Chidambaram said he was fighting the case gratis.

More fireworks are expected in the committee’s next meeting. Sources said the Opposition members have “sharp differences” with the government on Aadhaar, and believe that the committee, under the chairmanship of Chidambaram, should continue to examine the issue. "I cannot divulge details of a Parliament panel meet. But can say that the Trinamool will fight till our last breath to prevent Aadhaar being forced on the poor and the marginalised,” Trinamool Congress member Derek O’Brien tweeted.

Apart from Chidambaram, other members of the committee include Mallikarjun Kharge, Derek O'Brien, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Jay Panda, Kirron Kher, V Maitreyan, Ramen Deka and Sanjeev Kumar Balyan.

The 31-member committee has 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The BJP has 13 members in the committee. The Janata Dal (United), Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal and Telugu Desam Party have a member each. The AIADMK has three members, the Biju Janata Dal two and Telangana Rashtra Samiti one. The Congress has four, Trinamool Congress two, Samajwadi Party and NCP one each.