Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the Central government for systematically weakening the RTI Act and failing to implement a UPA-era law aimed at protecting truth-seekers and activists. He highlighted the government’s alleged neglect of the rural job scheme and transparency law, calling for a re-evaluation of the Right to Information Act as proposed by the latest Economic Survey. Kharge expressed concern over the significant number of pending cases under the RTI Act, questioning if the Act is next in line to be undermined.
Kharge raised alarm over the government’s alleged indifference towards safeguarding the lives of RTI activists, noting that more than 100 activists have been killed since 2014. He criticized the BJP for not implementing the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014, passed during the Congress-UPA regime. Additionally, Kharge pointed out the vacancies in the transparency commission, highlighting the prolonged absence of a Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission.
Referring to the Economic Survey’s findings on the RTI Act, Kharge accused the government of potentially allowing a ‘Ministerial veto’ to withhold information and shield public service records from scrutiny. He also criticized the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, for diluting the RTI’s public interest clause to protect corruption. Kharge further mentioned the government’s actions in 2019, which he described as undermining the independence of Information Commissioners by controlling their tenure and pay.
