Bring parties under purview of RTI, says Shashi Tharoor

Political parties should also be brought under the ambit of Right to Information Act, said Union Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor.
Bring parties under purview of RTI, says Shashi Tharoor

Political parties should also be brought under the ambit of Right to Information Act, said Union Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor.

Inaugurating the valedictory of a seminar  on ‘Right To Information Act - The Way Forward’, here on Saturday, Tharoor however asserted that it was his personal view.

“RTI ensures accountability to the general public. In this context, it would be odd for political parties, the lifeline of democracy, to exempt themselves from the purview of the Act.

When I had discussed this with my colleagues they opined that the political parties were already providing information to public through the Election Commission.

However I had countered this argument by saying that if the information had already been published then what is the problem in providing it,’’ said Tharoor.

 The minister also said that discrediting of political parties was a serious danger to democracy.

Therefore political parties should do whatever they can to regain the trust of the public. A recent survey revealed that a section of people in the country preferred  dictatorship. It is not because they liked it.

But it shows their dismay with the political parties, he said.

 ‘’Information provided through the Act on the 2G scam is unthinkable in any other country. It shows the power of the country’s democracy,’’ he added.   The seminar was organised jointly by State Information Commission and Institute of Management in Government (IMG) to mark the celebrations of Right to Information (RTI) Week.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com