Bill to keep parties out of RTI tabled in Lok Sabha

The political parties,were not established under the Constitution nor by Parliament.

While the Opposition members generated a din over a variety of issues,Union Minister of State for Personnel and Grievances V Narayanasamy introduced a Bill the Lok Sabha on Monday seeking to keep political parties out of the purview of the Right to Information Act.

Protest against proposed RTI amendment

The amendment is intended to neutralise an order of the Central Information Commission,passed on June 3,2013. The CIC order said: We have no hesitation in concluding that INC/AICC,BJP,CPI(M),CPI,NCP and BSP have been substantially financed by the Central government and,therefore,they are held to be public authorities under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. The full Bench of the commission,comprising Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra and Information Commissioners M L Sharma and Annapurna Dixit,felt: It would be odd to argue that transparency is good for all state organs but not so good for political parties,which,in reality,control all the vital organs of the state.

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

Story continues below this ad

Deputy Speaker Karia Munda ignored a forceful plea by Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy for being heard before allowing the minister to introduce the Bill. You dont listen; how would you run the House like this…..I have given notice to oppose this bill, Roy said. Your notice has been disallowed….Therefore,there is no question of speaking, Munda told Roy.

The Government considers that the CIC has made a liberal interpretation of Section 2 (h) of the said Act in its decision, Narayansamy said. The political parties,according to him,were not established under the Constitution or by any other law made by Parliament. They are registered or recognised under the Representation of People Act, he added. He pointed out that there were already provisions in the RP Act as well as the Income Tax Act which dealt with transparency in the financial aspects of political parties and their candidates.

BJP asks govt to not pass Bills in din While making the point that proceedings were being disrupted by ruling Congress members,the BJP asked the government during the Lok Sabha Business Advisory Committee meeting Monday not to pass any Bill in the din. Responding to a government plea for support for clearing important Bills,Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said the BJP was ready to extend its cooperation to it provided the principal Opposition party was allowed some important issues listed by its members. She said as anybody could figure out the BJP was not stalling the House. However,whenever her party tried to raise an important matter,the ruling party sent its members from Andhra Pradesh in to the well for creating trouble.