The Congress Wednesday said the Supreme Court verdict striking down several provisions of the Aadhaar biometric system is a "slap" on the NDA government while the ruling BJP called the judgement a big victory for the "pro-poor" Modi government.
Both the parties used the verdict by the apex court upholding constitutional validity of the massive Aadhaar project to claim victory of their respective position on the contentious issue which triggered nation-wide debate on privacy concerns.
Many rights' activists welcomed the judgement, saying it is a "historic verdict" that will provide major relief to the common man while some termed it "disappointing".
While giving constitutional validity to the project, a five-judge constitution bench restricted government's push to make Aadhaar mandatory for various services including opening of bank accounts, obtaining mobile phone connections and securing school admissions.
Biometric details of billions of people gave already been taken under the Aadhar project, making it the world's biggest biometric database.
The Congress said by scrapping the "draconian" Section 57 and the national security exception in the Aadhaar Act, the Supreme Court firmly put an end to a "mass surveillance exercise" being carried out under the guise of Aadhaar by the central government and the "grotesque distortion" of an idea conceived by the previous UPA dispensation.
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Congress leader Kapil Sibal also expressed satisfaction over exclusion of private companies from Aadhaar project and said the idea to involve private companies was not just "undemocratic" but was against the spirit of democracy.
However, the BJP described the judgement as a big victory for the "pro-poor Modi government", citing the upholding of the constitutional validity of the project by the apex court.
In his reaction, BJP president Amit Shah mocked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi after he claimed that the Supreme Court order on Aadhaar supported his party's vision, saying, "Yes, the Congress won today, just like they won Lok Sabha Polls in 2014".
Shah accused the Congress of trying every trick to fight and defeat Aadhaar as it is the "fountainhead of middlemen and corruption".
On his part, Gandhi thanked the Supreme Court for the verdict, saying it was an instrument of empowerment for his party, but a "tool of oppression and surveillance" for the BJP.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra also hit back at the Congress after it projected the verdict as a slap on the face of the ruling party, saying the order has in fact exposed the opposition party.
The Congress favoured middlemen while the Modi government brought Aadhaar to ensure that benefits are given directly to people, he said.
"We see it as a big victory of the Modi government, the pro-poor Modi government. The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and has also said that it does not violate privacy," Patra said.
The Aadhaar project was launched by the previous UPA government primarily to plug the loopholes in delivering benefits of the social welfare schemes to intended beneficiaries. The NDA government expanded the ambit of the project.
The Congress also cited comments of Justice D Y Chandrachud, who wrote the judgement separately, that passage of the Aadhaar law as money bill, bypassing the Rajya Sabha, ammounted to a "fraud on the Constitution".
Sibal said his party supports the views of Justice Chandrachud. The Congress party and its leader Jairam Ramesh had challenged the passage of the bill in the House as Money Bill.
"We will approach a seven-judge bench to consider this verdict again as this is clearly not a Money Bill," he said.
Sibal said the party will certainly move the court if amendments in the Aadhaar Act to be brought after this verdict are not brought in Rajya Sabha for discussion.
"If the government does not bring the Act to the Rajya Sabha for amendments, we will definitely move the Supreme Court," he told reporters.
Sibal said the Congress was aware that data of crores of people may have fallen in wrong hands and the court decision will prevent information from going into private hands,.
The Trinamool Congress also hailed striking down of Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act which allowed corporate entities to access its data.
"SC strikes down section 57 of Aadhaar Act, 2016. So you don't need to give your Aadhaar to private bodies like banks, schools, mobile companies. Trinamool and @mamataofficial fought hard for this," the party said in a tweet.
Several activists welcomed the verdict.
"I think it is a historic judgement, and will provide a major relief to the common man. Private companies earlier would demand Aadhaar for offering services, or opening bank accounts, admission in schools and buying a mobile SIM card was denied to people for lack of it. So, it would spell out major relief for citizens," activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan said.
Amnesty India in a tweet said "making an Aadhaar card a prerequisite to access essential services and benefits can obstruct access to several constitutional rights, including the rights of people to food, health care, education and social security.
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