Modi govt hell-bent on completely subverting RTI Act: Sonia Gandhi

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi alleged on Tuesday that the Modi government is "hell-bent on completely subverting" the RTI Act and wants to "destroy" the independence of the Central Information Commission, a day after Lok Sabha passed amendments to the Act amid strong opposition protests.

The Congress Parliamentary Party leader, in a statement, said the law, prepared after widespread consultations and passed unanimously by Parliament, now stands at the "brink of extinction".

It is clear that the present central government sees the RTI Act as a "nuisance" and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission, Gandhi said.

"It is a matter of utmost concern that the central government is hell-bent on completely subverting the historic Right to Information Act, 2005. This law, prepared after widespread consultations and unanimously passed by Parliament, now stands at the brink of extinction," she said in the statement.

Gandhi said, "Over the past decade and more, 60 lakh of our countrymen and women have used RTI and helped usher in a new culture of transparency and accountability (in) administration at all levels."