Raghuvansh Prasad Singh opposes amendments to exclude political parties from RTI ambit

"Feel ashamed that all parties want to prevent application of transparency law on them".

Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh opposed amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act which seek to keep political parties out of its ambit,saying today that politicians should not fear transparency.

“I am not in agreement with both parties coming together to seek exclusion from RTI as well as government bringing amendments to the law to that effect. Why are we afraid of being transparent? Rather there should have been a provision of self disclosure. But in this case,we are now denying to give information even when it is sought,” he told reporters.

Singh,who was a minister in United Progressive Alliance-1 which had brought the RTI Act,wondered how political parties can be excluded from a bill whose main purpose is to bring transparency,when everybody else is to be transparent? I feel ashamed that all parties have come together to prevent the application of the transparency law on them,he said.

All political parties have joined hands to oppose a Central Information Commission (CIC) order which said that six major parties – Congress,BJP,NCP,CPM,CPI and BSP – are public authorities and come under the ambit of RTI.

The Union Cabinet last week approved amendment to RTI Act saying political parties were an association of individuals and not public authorities.

Since the CIC order is still operational,government is keen to pass the bill in the first week of the Monsoon Session itself.

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