"Will Be Voluntary": Law Minister Kiren Rijiju On Contentious Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking
NDTV
Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House, said the Election Laws Bill had been passed without "discussion or debate"
The linking of Aadhaar and voter ID cards will be "voluntary and not compulsory", Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told NDTV Tuesday, amid spiraling protests against the controversial Election Laws (Amendment) Bill and the equally controversial manner in which it was rushed through Parliament
"It would be voluntary and not compulsory to link voter ID card with Aadhaar. Even if a citizen does not have an Aadhaar card, his name will not be deleted from electoral rolls. If you are above 18 and your name is in the voting list... then you are a voter," Mr Rijiju told NDTV.
"The Election Laws Bill is necessary to make the electoral process clean and tidy... Right now, one voter gets his/her name included in the electoral roll at three or four places. It is very important to remove those who are fake voters," the minister said.
"The opposition's argument is absolutely wrong... they have no basis" he stressed.
