Activists protest finance bill
Top activists, academics write to RS chairman over the draft law expanding Aadhaar usage.
NEWDELHI: Top activists and academics have come out against the controversial draft law expanding the use of Aadhaar and written to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari to rule that the government was wrong in bypassing the Upper House.
They also said they would challenge in court the classification of the finance bill — which made Aadhaar mandatory for PAN cards and income tax returns — as a money bill, which doesn’t need to pass in the Rajya Sabha where the government is in a minority. “If it goes unchallenged then it sets a very wrong precedent that governments can get any legislation passed by making them money bills. This disrupts constitutional functioning,” said Gopal Krishna from the Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties, a co-signatory to the letter.
He said at least two organisations would approach the judiciary soon. Prominent activists who signed the letter include Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, and economist Jayati Ghosh and Prabhat Patnaik.
They say that the finance bill contains provisions that have wide-reaching impact and need to be independently debated.
“We are appalled and dismayed at the government’s use of money bills to push through important legislation that affects all citizens, without requiring approval by both houses of Parliament,” the letter read.
The letter follows days of outrage over the 12-digit biometric ID that is increasingly needed to access benefits and entitlements. The government has indicated that Aadhaar could become the sole identity card in the future and PAN cards not linked to the unique number could become invalid by year-end.
The activists asked Ansari to allow extensive and uninterrupted discussions into every aspect of the bill in the Upper House and ensure the practice of “illegitimately classifying” bills as money bills is immediately stopped.
“We appeal to you to protect the rights and duties of the Upper House and the interests of all the people of India. These bills and the relevant provisions that cannot be described as routine in any sense, must be subject to proper democratic scrutiny in both houses of Parliament.”
The letter points out the government abused the provisions of a money bill even last year when the controversial Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) legislation was passed as a money bill.
As per the act, proof of Aadhaar number was necessary for receipt of certain subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India.
“The Aadhaar bill faces robust challenge in the Supreme Court because the proceedings of Parliament reveal that it is not a money bill,” said Krishna.
The identification project was rolled out roughly a decade ago to plug leakages in government schemes but many flag privacy concerns with Aadhaar that is seen as vulnerable to data breaches and government spying.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly said that benefits cannot be denied for not having Aadhaar but has cleared the use of the ID for non-benefit schemes such as opening of bank accounts.
THEY ALSO SAID THEY WOULD CHALLENGE THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE FINANCE BILL AS A MONEY BILL, WHICH DOESN’T NEED TO PASS IN THE RS WHERE THE GOVT IS IN A MINORITY