NEW
DELHI: Congress said Aadhaar should not be mandatory till its
penetration reaches a satisfactory level, aligning itself with the
Supreme Court which on Monday said unique identification number could
not be the pre-requisite for providing government services.
It
said Aadhaar was facing teething problems in many states and its
issuance had not reached a stage where it could be used as testimonial
for identity.
"Congress
will go by the Supreme Court ruling because if made compulsory in the
initial stages, there may be problems," AICC spokesman P C Chacko said.
The
ruling party's stance followed the realization that there were
differences within the government over UID. With flagship "direct
benefits transfer" failing to match the rollout schedule and delayed by
months, Congress realizes there may be little gain in arguing over
Aadhaar till elections.
DBT
is unlikely to reach the critical stage next year when it can be called
a proven scheme depositing government entitlements directly in bank
accounts of beneficiaries. The schemes under DBT are lagging behind
schedule because of complications involved in aligning them with the
modalities of direct transfer.
By polls, it is expected to remain an ambitious proposal aimed at cutting red tape in providing subsidies.
Given
the situation, the ruling camp would prefer to steer clear of
controversies, especially when insistence on Aadhaar can give rival BJP
the opening to raise the bogey of 'illegal immigrants'. A section has
argued that Aadhaar was being issued to non-citizens and was providing
legal documents to Bangladeshis.
