Keeping parties out of RTI will prevent unnecessary burden: BJP

The BJP Saturday justified the move to keep political parties out of the ambit of the RTI Act, saying it will save them from being "unnecessarily burdened".

"Political parties furnish their financial and accounts details to the Election Commission which is a constitutional body. So anybody desirous of knowing a party's financial details should approach the EC instead of troubling the parties," party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said here.

Speaking at an Association of Corporate Adviser & Executives organized event here, Lekhi said bringing political parties under the Right to Information Act would hamper their functioning, burdening them unnecessarily.

"Political parties are not bureaucratic structures, rather voluntary outfits of people. Bringing them under the RTI would unnecessarily burden them,p hampering their functioning. The EC being a body under the RTI, any information about the parties can be sought from it," said Lekhi.

Lekhi also questioned the motive of NGOs and activists who have been clamouring for including the political parties under the RTI Act.

"Many NGOs never reveal the source of their funding. Moreover, there are many such people and organisations who are funded by political parties to raise issues on their favour. I feel such organisations do not have the moral right to question political parties when they themselves indulge in malpractices," she added.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) had passed an order June 3 to bring six national political parties under the ambit of the RTI Act, since they receive substantial funding from the government.

The union cabinet Thursday approved an amendment to the Right to Information (RTI) Act which would keep the political parties out of its ambit, attracting severe criticism from activists.