BJP blames KCR for Aadhar notices, claims AIMIM conspiracy

Hyderabad: The UIDAI's notices to 127 people in Hyderabad has given rise to a slew of allegations and controversies. The BJP is now blaming Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after the Unique Identification Authority of India's (UIDAI) declaration that over 400 Aadhar cards in Telangana are lined up for deactivation. The party held KCR and the state government responsible for criminal negligence in handling the processing of Aadhar cards in the state.

There are also allegations that many among the 127 people who have been served notices are Rohingya Muslims. There are also rumors of an existing police case against Md Sattar, an auto driver from the Old City area in Hyderabad, whose name is in the list.

Meanwhile, NewsMeter has acquired an FIR dated 2018 filed against Sattar based on a complaint by sub-inspector of police, Special Branch, south zone, I. D Venkateshwarlu. According to the FIR, Sattar was accused of helping two Rohingya Muslims who had rented his house. As per the FIR, two Myanmar nationals, Nazarul Islam and his wife Parveen, obtained fake voter IDs and Aadhar cards. Later, the couple acquired an Indian passport for Parveen with the help of their house owner Sattar.

Though the FIR says the complaint was filed based on credible information, there are no further details. The couple later moved out of Sattar’s house and, according to Sattar, he is unaware of their current whereabouts. However, he assumes that this ongoing case must be the reason his name is included in the list.

The joint commissioner of police (CCS) told NewsMeter, “Whenever we come across a situation where any document has been acquired through fraudulent means a case will be registered and we investigate to find evidence for the same. Also, we will intimate it to the concerned authorities. In this case, it was UIDAI. It's up to the authority to take appropriate action. The fraudulent case of Aadhar keeps coming up. So, whenever we get such cases we pass the information to UIDAI.”

However, at a time when the country is burning with the issues of the Citizenship Amendment Act, Hyderabad's Muslim community, in particular, does not see this move as a routine inquiry. Muzzafar Ali Khan, counsel for Sattar, told NewsMeter, “We cannot take this notice lightly. Even though the notice has been served to Rohingya Muslims, most of them who have received the notice are local Muslims who were born and bought up in Hyderabad. At any cost, the UIDAI cannot question the nationality of any individual. When the issue went viral, in order to cover up their mistake, they have come up with reasons, like the Rohingyas. In that case, you cancel the Aadhar card of those individuals. How can you question their identity?”

The advocate said there are several Rohingyas in the state who have acquired Aadhar cards through illegal means and that questions the efficiency of the authority which sanctions the card. “Sattar was issued the Aadhar card in 2017. If he is not an Indian, till date why didn’t the government take any action according to the regulations of foreign affairs? According to Section 14 of foreign affairs the person has to be arrested immediately. And if he is a Rohingya there are certain steps the state has to undertake. Not just a Rohingya, even if the person is from any other nation, the UIDAI has no right to question their nationality.”

Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that citizen identity cards such as Pan cards, Aadhar, and ration Cards are "up for sale" in Telangana. K.Krishna Saagar Rao, chief spokesperson of Telangana BJP, said, “To appease the Muslim minorities, it's evident that KCR has handed over the reins of the Old City to AIMIM and Owaisi brothers. No wonder Telangana is now infamous in the entire country for fraudulent Aadhar. The BJP believes the TRS and it's government is bringing a bad name to Telangana by partnering with a party like MIM and allowing this kind of serious irregularities to occur under it's watch.”

The party further alleged that the issue was a conspiracy hatched by the AIMIM. Mr Sagar said, “The BJP also feels there is a structured conspiracy behind a sudden rise in applications for Aadhar and other identity cards in Telangana, especially from Old City in the backdrop of the impending CAA and NPR implementation in the state. The AIMIM seems to be playing a huge role in this conspiracy.”