Aadhaar under UPA was 'Niradhar': Amit Shah

After the Supreme Court's verdict on Aadhaar's constitutional validity, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress party saying, the proposed unique identification number scheme under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was "Niradhar".

"It gives further impetus to empowering the poor by ensuring that they get their rights," Shah Tweeted. "Aadhaar under UPA government was Niradhar and had no purpose. UPA spent thousands of crores to enroll people without any law or scrutiny," he added.

Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for giving Aadhaar a strong legal backing, Shah said that the Congress party has been exposed and stands defeated after the court's verdict.

He further accused the Congress party of being the "fountainhead of middlemen and corruption," which tried every trick to fight and defeat Aadhaar, politically and legally.

The apex court earlier in the day said that linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phone numbers is not mandatory, but it is a must for Permanent Account Number (PAN).

While announcing its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, the court said that "Aadhaar is not needed for opening a bank account and no mobile company can demand Aadhaar card for connections."

The apex court struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, hence barring private companies from seeking Aadhaar details of consumers.

However, the five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court also upheld most of the provisions in the Aadhaar Act, and also ruled that it does not breach privacy.