A day after receiving praise from the IMF for India’s Aadhaar and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) programs, a political clash ensued between the BJP and the Congress as they vied for credit over the schemes. Former finance minister P Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, rebuked the ruling party, asserting that both initiatives were launched by the UPA. He pointed out that Aadhaar was introduced on January 28, 2009, and DBT on January 1, 2013, both under the UPA government.
In response, BJP leader and Union minister Bhupender Yadav shared a video of Chidambaram questioning the Modi government on digital transactions in Parliament. Yadav criticized Chidambaram for now claiming credit for DBT and Aadhaar due to IMF’s commendation, highlighting the former minister’s earlier skepticism about Digital India.
Yadav attributed the success of the DBT scheme to the Modi government’s Jan Dhan Yojana, which facilitated the opening of over 45 crore bank accounts as of April 2022. He emphasized that this initiative empowered the same economically disadvantaged individuals whom the previous government allegedly intended to keep poor.
BJP’s IT-head, Amit Malviya, challenged Chidambaram to honestly assess the data and determine who deserves credit. Malviya presented statistics indicating the significant expansion of DBT coverage and payments under the Modi government.
Acknowledging the transformative impact of the Modi government’s policies, Malviya credited the success of DBT and the Payments Revolution in India to initiatives like the Jan Dhan Bank Accounts, Aadhaar, Mobile (JAM trinity), Aadhaar Payments Bridge, NPCI/UPI expansion, and the Digital India Mission.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the Congress’s past skepticism about Aadhaar and questioned their newfound desire for credit. Meanwhile, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar attributed Aadhaar to former PM Atal Vajpayee’s original idea of a National ID program, criticizing the previous government’s spending on a potentially unreliable database.
In the backdrop of this political exchange, the IMF commended India’s direct cash transfer scheme and other social welfare programs as a “logical marvel,” praising the country’s accomplishments in these areas.
