SHILLONG: The civil societies, NGOs and church leaders of Garo Hills on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the chief minister opposing the introduction of Aadhaar card in the state.
In a statement to the media, the organisations alleged that Aadhaar is an invasion of the citizens’ privacy protected by the right to privacy as implicit in Articles 19 and 21 and as part of the freedom guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution even though it was initially passed as a money bill adding that it is the “clandestine coercive tactics of the UIDAI”.
The organisations also highlighted the fact that KSU and other pressure groups like MPCA and religious leaders of Khasi Hills have been opposing it tooth and nail.
The delegation comprising GSU, ADE and Kingdom Gospel Ministries met the chief minister in the city on November 14.
The statement added that the CM highlighted various points where it is fallacious to introduce Aadhaar as it would infringe upon the privacy rights of citizens.
Referring to the hacking of 300 bank accounts of Aadhaar number holders, the statement said the Centre was coercing individuals to disclose information.
Citizenship Act
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2015, was also discussed. The statement said that welcoming all Hindus into India would mean bringing in immigrants to the North East making Garo Hills vulnerable.
The delegation also met the CEM of the JHADC who also supported the opposition to the introduction of Aadhaar.
