Aadhaar verdict: Yes, Congress won like it did in 2014 polls, says Shah

BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday took a dig at Rahul Gandhi after he claimed that the Supreme Court judgment supported Congress vision, saying, "yes, it won today, just like they won Lok Sabha Polls in 2014."

"Yes, the Congress won today, just like they won Lok Sabha Polls in 2014," Shah said in a tweet replying to Congress President.

The BJP Chief's remarks came after Gandhi hailed the apex court decision and said thanked the court for supporting the party's vision to protect nation.

"For the BJP, Aadhaar is a tool of oppression and surveillance. Thank you Supreme Court for supporting the Congress vision and protecting the nation," Gandhi tweeted.

The Supreme Court in a landmark judgement upheld the legality of Aadhaar for use only in government-funded social benefit schemes and PAN and Income Tax Return (ITR) while junking its requirement for mobile phone connections, bank accounts, school admissions and competitive examinations.

Shah in a series of tweets, said, "Today's Supreme Court judgment is a strong validation of Aadhaar as an instrument of service delivery. It gives further impetus to empowering the poor by ensuring that they get their rights."

Targeting the previous Congress-led UPA government, Shah said: "Aadhaar under UPA government was Niradhar (did not have a legal basis) and had no purpose. UPA spent thousands of crores to enrol people without any law or scrutiny. Modi government gave it strong legal backing and integrated it in service delivery. This ensured savings of Rs 90,000 crore and benefited the poor."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader accused the Congress of being the fountainhead of middlemen and corruption, and said, "It tried every trick to fight and defeat Aadhaar, politically and legally. They tried to mislead people on various grounds, including scare-mongering on privacy. Today they stand exposed and defeated," he said.

--IANS

aks/prs