The Meghalaya People’s Committee on Aadhaar (MPAC) has called on President Ram Nath Kovind not to give his consent to the amended electoral reform bill passed by Parliament, saying it needs thorough discussion.
In a letter to the President, signed by MPAC convener PBM Basaiawmoit, Kovind was told that the central government rode “roughshod over opposition MPs” to get the bill through Parliament.
“Parliamentary democracy does not imply that the ruling majority shall not listen to sane voices, contributions and opinions from across the floor and take all into consideration and account as they represent the voices of the people across the length and breadth of this vast country,” Basaiawmoit said, adding that it should have been studied by a joint parliamentary committee.
Aadhaar, he said, is controversial and to make it mandatory for a citizen to link their voter identification with it raises complex questions that need study and inputs from the public.
Aadhaar, when it was introduced, received widespread concern and suspicion from sections of the Meghalaya populace, though these have somewhat been assuaged with the passage of time. Around 50 percent of the estimated population of the state has enrolled themselves with Aadhaar.
