statesman news service
New Delhi, 2 August
RTI activists today opposed the government’s move to keep political parties out of the ambit of the transparency law. A protest is being planned on 6 August by RTI activists to express their unhappiness over the government’s decision and to urge the Centre to take back its decision so that there is transparency in the working of the parties.
“We are against the government’s decision to amend the RTI Act.”
“We oppose it. A protest has been planned where activists and people from across the country will gather to register their protest,” Mr Venkatesh Nayak, coordinator, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, said.
The Union Cabinet yesterday cleared a proposal to amend the RTI Act in order to give immunity to political parties.
Mr Nayak said RTI activists will also hold protests in their respective states to oppose the Centre’s decision.
The protest is being planned by non-government organisations like CHRI and National Campaign for People’s Right to Information among others.
RTI activist Subhash Chandra Aggarwal said the government took a short cut to circumvent the reasoned CIC decision instead of challenging the matter before a higher court.
“There is a possibility that RTI activists contest the amendments in court. Let the government first bring amendments,” Mr Aggarwal said. He demanded that all cooperative societies including multi-state-cooperative societies (MSCS), public-private partnerships (PPP) and all national-level sports federations including the BCCI should be covered under the RTI Act.
Another RTI activist, Commodore Lokesh Batra, said the people should at least register protests against the proposed amendments.
An online campaign has been started by him in which he says 5,000 have already registered themselves.
“We will be meeting each Parliamentarian in support of our demands.”
“We oppose the government’s decision to give immunity to political parties from providing information,” said Mr Batra.
 The Central Information Commission (CIC) had in its order on 3 June held that six national parties ~ the Congress, the BJP, the NCP, the CPI-M, the CPI and the BSP ~ were public authorities and liable to give information under the RTI Act.