By IANS
New Delhi : With several political leaders opposing the move to make carrying identity cards compulsory in Delhi to ward off any terror threats, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said the government would “resolve” the practical problems in implementing the plan.
Talking to the media at Rashtrapati Bhavan after new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai took oath of office, Manmohan Singh said: “I do not want to go into the motives. If there are any practical problems, we will resolve them.”
The prime minister said he had received a letter from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the issue. “I have received the letter. I will look into it.”
Nitish Kumar has pointed out to the prime minister that the move was a “sinister design” against people from Bihar.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna announced last week that Delhi Police would check photo identity cards from Jan 15 in view of enhanced terror threats.
The lieutenant governor’s announcement has kicked up a major controversy with politicians and social activists pointing out that I-cards would not stop the terrorists anyway. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said that she was not consulted before the decision was taken.
Khanna, however, said Monday that he had never said carrying I-cards would be mandatory. Apparently buckling under criticism, he said his “message has been misunderstood”.
“I never said without I-cards people will be treated as culprits or they will be harassed,” he told reporters here.
Vinod Rai, a 1972 Kerala cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, took over as the new CAG.