Nandan Nilekani, Congress candidate from Bangalore South and former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), has described the ongoing debate on the Aadhaar project as sheer “election rhetoric”. He expressed confidence that the project would continue to get full support from whichever be the political party that comes to power.
At an interactive meeting organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here on Friday, he said Aadhaar was a “transformational project” that could save 10 per cent of the country’s total subsidy budget of Rs. 3 lakh crore by avoiding duplications.
‘Desperation’“It is the desperation of politicians that has turned Aadhaar into an election issue,” Mr. Nilekani said, and added that many of those who were critical of the project had the card themselves. He underlined that the project had got budget approval five times from Parliament.
Projecting himself as a man who had three kinds of experiences — as co-founder of Infosys, as head of Bangalore Agenda Task Force and head of the UIDAI — he said he and his party were “committed to increasing growth rate and simplifying business.” GSTN (Goods and Sales Tax Network) was aimed at making business interface with taxation simpler, he said.
City’s ambassadorsMr. Nilekani said that Members of Parliament from Bangalore should become ambassadors of the city and work with the State and the municipal administration. “People are saying that I have turned the Lok Sabha election into a municipal election. But I am happy to make it a municipal election. An MP is also a member of the BBMP (Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike),” he said, and added that civic administration should be high on the agenda.
