Sitaram Yechury. (Express Photo by Subham Dutta) Sitaram Yechury. (Express Photo by Subham Dutta)

Joining the opposition chorus against the government’s move to make Aadhar card mandatory, CPM general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury said that the Unique Identification scheme is leading to a surveillance state in the country and is impinging on the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution. “I don’t have an Aadhaar card, if you want to make it compulsory, bring a bill. You have a government that doesn’t have the courage to come forward and say ‘I’m abolishing this Constitution’,” he said during a debate over The Finance Bill.

Saying that there are lakhs of complaints against the scheme, Yechury claimed, “much like the Matrix, an Aadhaar number can just vanish and you won’t be a citizen anymore”.

He expressed doubts over how secure the Aadhar data was and the implications of it falling into the wrong hands. “Who controls this data? Which private company has access?” he said.

Claiming that the government was using the backdoor to bring in amendments, Yechury urged that all non-tax matters must be removed from The Finance Bill. “This House must return this bill to Lok Sabha with serious concern asking for amendments,” he said. “This is a financial bully, not a bill.”

Earlier today, speaking in the Rajya Sabha, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal tore into the government for allegedly violating the Supreme Court orders over the use of Aadhar card. “Aadhar was only meant for PDS, targeted subsidies should reach the people. That is purpose of Aadhar, not for you to pry into the activities of others,” he said. Sibal claimed that “we are living in a police state”.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd