TMC, Cong slam Centre over leaking of Aadhaar data

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today denounced the central government over the Aadhaar data leak even as the Congress demanded that Prime Minister immediately resign over the lapse. Banerjee told reporters here that Aadhaar details being leaked out was “alarming”, and could be dangerous for individuals and society.

“We do not know why such acts are taking place. We already have the PAN card, voter ID card. But I believe what is taking place in the name of the Aadhaar card will be dangerous for any individual and society,” she said.

Criticising the Centre, the Trinamool Congress chief said, “Some people act like Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and take sudden decisions such as dividing the state or the move of demonetisation. This information about Aadhaar card details leakage also shows such a mindset.” 

More than 200 central and state government websites publicly displayed details such as names and addresses of some Aadhaar beneficiaries, the Unique Identification Authority of India said recently. The Aadhaar issuing body in response to an RTI query said it took note of the breach and got the data removed from those websites.

“Details from head to toe of every individual, talks between mother and daughter… husband and wife would be known. I have been warning (people) about this time and again,” Banerjee said. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister and TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said, “Mamata Banerjee has been saying it for the last few years that this Aadhaar system can cause serious problems and there are chances of leakage of information. Now we are seeing that the same thing has happened. The central government has to take responsibility for it.” 

Like demonetisation and the hurried implementation of the GST, the implementation of the Aadhaar system was also flawed, he said. The Congress demanded that the prime minister immediately resign over the lapse. “We have been saying this for the last few years that the way government was pursuing this Aadhaar card system could pose a serious risk. But the government didn’t pay any heed to it,” Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan said.

“We demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take moral responsibility and immediately resign,” he said. Defending the central government, state BJP chief and MLA Dilip Ghosh said, “There can be problems when a new system is implemented in a country like India. We should not try to play politics over it.