Over the past few days, the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj has said, not once but twice, that voter ID will replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries of social welfare programmes. Is this now the official Modi government policy? If indeed it is, then it means that Aadhaar will not be used for the primary purpose for which it was conceived and intended. There have been legitimate concerns that the way Aadhaar has been (mis)used, lakhs of people have been denied access to social welfare and security schemes. Making SIR the basis will end up excluding even more people on a massive scale. Vote Chori was just the trailer; the full picture of fundamental rights chori via discretionary disenfranchisement is yet to unfold.
Rekha Sarin, Benaulim
