BJP's Amit Malviya calls out Congress for 'duplicity' on Aadhaar as proof of citizenship

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Amid the political storm over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, the BJP on Friday lashed out at "hypocratic and unscrupulous" Congress for its "double-faced duplicity" on the issue of linking Aadhaar with voter identity card.

Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP's National Information and Technology Department, shared, on X, old videos of Parliament proceedings and screen grabs of news items carrying statements of Congress leaders – Randeep Singh Surjewala, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari – opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's proposal on voluntary linking of Voter ID with Aadhaar in 2021.

Malviya slammed the Congress and its ally Rashtriya Janata Dal for opposing the Election Commission of India's decision not to consider Aadhaar for verification of voters during the ongoing SIR in Bihar.

He said, "The Congress has long been a party of convenience -- unprincipled, unscrupulous, and driven purely by political opportunism."

"In 2022, a senior Congress leader filed a petition in the Supreme Court claiming that linking Aadhaar with Voter ID was unconstitutional and a violation of citizens' Fundamental Rights. And now, just a few years later, Rahul Gandhi's Congress is shamelessly demanding that the Election Commission accept Aadhaar as proof of citizenship. The hypocrisy couldn't be more blatant. The double-faced duplicity of the Congress now stands fully exposed before the people," said the BJP leader.

He also attacked a link to a news article dated July 24, 2022, showing Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala challenging the law linking Aadhaar and voter ID in the Supreme Court.

Calling the Congress "shameless", Malviya said, "2021: Modi Govt proposes voluntary linking of Voter ID with Aadhaar. Congress protests: "Aadhaar is not proof of Citizenship - it only proves residency! If you are using Aadhaar for voting, you are giving voting rights to non-citizens!"

Malviya said in 2025, the same Congress now demands that the Election Commission accept Aadhaar as proof of citizenship during the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar - so that illegal migrants/non-citizens can be included in the voter roll! "Shamelessness has a new name: Congress," he said.

Earlier, the BJP leader had also presented the settled legal view of the Supreme Court on the issue.

"There has been excessive and misplaced debate surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in Bihar and the push to include Aadhaar as valid proof of citizenship, a legal prerequisite for being enrolled as a voter. However, Aadhaar is not considered valid proof of citizenship due to the way it was designed, structured, and defined in law," he said.

"In its 2018 judgment, the Supreme Court of India clearly stated: Aadhaar does not establish citizenship; it is meant only for identification of residents," he said.

--IANS

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