Modi govt sees RTI as an obstacle to majotarianism: Sonia

October 31, 2019 16:47

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said that Modi government has viewed the Right to Information as "an obstacle to enforcing their majoritarian agenda" and that the amendments to the Act enacted by it will ensure that no information commissioner will be free from "interference and signalling" by the government.In a statement, Gandhi said that BJP-led government has "launched its final assault to decimate RTI" and the changes made will have "a chilling effect on all Information Commissioners -- Central and State".

She said the changes will allow the Modi Government to appoint "submissive officials who don't mind serving at the pleasure of the state and who will not allow questions the government finds inconvenient to answer".

"To further erode and dilute its effectiveness, the Modi Government has passed amendments which diminish the office of the Information Commissioner in a manner that it leaves them at the mercy of very government it is required to hold accountable," Gandhi said.

She said one of the proudest achievements of the Congress-led UPA was the passage of the Right to Information Act of 2005 and the "historic legislation" gave birth to an institution that in the last 13 years has become a sentinel of democracy, transparency and accountability to the common man.

"It is no secret that the Modi Government has seen this remarkable institution as an obstacle to enforcing their majoritarian agenda without being held accountable to people. For the majority of their first term, several of the Information Commissioner offices remained vacant, including that of the Chief Information Commissioner (for ten months)," she said.

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