Congress credits Sonia, Manmohan for RTI, accuses BJP of weakening law through amendments over the years
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
In Shimla, senior Congress leaders marked the 20th anniversary of India’s Right to Information Act (RTI). On October 12, 2005, the law was rolled out, a move championed by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh. The party said the RTI has brought a wave of accountability to Indian governance.
At a press conference, Rajni Patil, the All‑India Congress Committee (AICC) incharge for Himachal Pradesh, praised the RTI and talked about other rights the UPA government, of which Congress was the main party, introduced. These include the Right to Education and the Right to Food Security.
Congress leaders accused the current BJP‑led national government of eroding the law. They highlighted several amendments made in 2019 and 2023 that the party says have weakened the spirit of the RTI. For example, personal data is now excluded from RTI requests, and key posts such as the Chief Information Commissioner remain vacant. Kuldeep Singh Rathore, an AICC spokesperson and MLA, said that many pending cases in the 29 central and state information commissions can’t be processed, and details like the Prime Minister’s foreign visits, COVID‑19 death tolls, and the PM CARES and PM Relief funds are no longer available under RTI.
The Congress also pointed out that the Whistleblower Protection Act, passed in 2019, is still not enforced, leaving RTI users and whistleblowers without safeguards.
To celebrate the RTI’s milestone, Congress announced a nationwide campaign that will include more press conferences and a public push to revive awareness of the law. The party has drafted six key demands, which include repealing the 2019 amendments, ensuring fixed five‑year terms for information commissioners, filling all vacancies in a transparent manner, setting performance standards for commission work, fully implementing the Whistleblower Protection Act, and diversifying commissions with journalists, activists, academics, and women.
The Congress message is clear: protect and strengthen the RTI Act as the cornerstone of India’s democratic transparency. The party is calling on the Union government to act on these demands and restore the full power of the RTI.
Source: aninews
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