Raghuvansh opposes amendments to RTI Act

Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today opposed amendments to the RTI Act which seek to keep political parties out of its ambit saying 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 UPA 1 which had brought the RTI Act, wondered, "How can we exclude ourselves from being transparent when we want everybody else to be transparent? I feel ashamed that all parties have come together to prevent the application of the transparency law on them."

All political parties have joined hands to oppose a 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.