JOIN USBJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday wondered why the Congress candidate from Bangalore South and former UIDAI chairperson Nandan Nilekani was not prosecuted under Prevention of Corruption Act.
Speaking at a seminar on “UID - A Threat to National Security and Corruption in UID scheme” organised by The Fifth Estate-Grahak Shakti here, Swamy said he wanted to prosecute Nilekani because crores of rupees were misused and the project had no real benefit.
“People have been misguided. UIDAI is not a statutory body and its office, Planning Commission, too is not a constitutional authority,” he said.
Neither the government nor the Planning Commission did any study to ascertain if UID was cost effective. An IIM-Ahmedabad study shows that it is not. UID is not an identity proof. Citizens have to show one of their existing identity proofs to get UID, he said.
“There are many frauds in the scheme and a recent sting operation showed how illegal Bangladeshi immigrants got it. The goal of UID, as stated, is to ensure that the central government scheme reaches the needy. So UID is being given to Indians and ‘certain other people.’ We know who the ‘certain other people’ are - Italians,” he said.
Swamy said around Rs 4,800 crore has been spent and 1.2 billion people given UID. The data is not shared with Indians, but with foreign nationals because they have white skin and are managing all database, he added.
“Earlier, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was praising UIDAI because he was not aware of it. I too just read about UIDAI before coming to the seminar. I do not have an Aadhaar number and will not get one,” he said.
EVMs rigged
Swamy said he too can rig elections and win against Congress “just like the Congress did in 2004 and 2009.”
He said ballot paper system of voting was better, they are only rigged at booth levels but EVMs were rigged wholesale.
Swamy said India, Venezuela, Nigeria and the US, partially use EVMs. Japan, that provides the micro-controller used in EVMs to record vote, uses ballot paper.