CHENNAI: The Right to Information Act has been a crucial tool in fighting corruption and bettering transparency in the functioning of governments.
The Act, enacted a decade-and-half back, gave rise to an entire new crop of transparency activists.
But now, with foreign funding for non-profit organisations being restricted under new Central laws, most activists are choosing an alternative path to reach the people — politics.
They are either jumping into the fray or backing political candidates who, they think, will make a difference. Take for instance Lok Satta activists Senthil Armugam and K Siva Ilango.
They have joined hands with Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Mayam. Arul Dass, an RT activist from National Alliance for People’s Movement, is now backing his friends in DMK and VCK.
Farmer Ramalingam from Sivarakottai, who was opposing the DMK regime after his land was set to be acquired, is now backing AIADMK, which nullified that order. Senthil Arumugam, who is contesting from Pallavaram, says he has been battling social issues for the last 15 years.
He has been working as an RTI activist and trying to reach Grama Sabha.
“Now I plan to reach a larger audience through MNM.”
When queried on how they will fight the election without the funds, Armugam says that he is going in for a ‘Zero Budget Campaign’.
“We will ask people to fund our campaign. Already lots of people have agreed to provide us food, vehicles and other expenses for the election,” he says.
For Siva Ilango, who is contesting from Tambaram, elections is not new. In 2011, he had contested against former chief minister M Karunanidhi in Tiruvarur constituency.
“I have contested four elections, including a local body polls, prior to this election,” says Ilango.
Arul Doss, who backed Aam Admi party in the State in 2016, says he is supporting his friends from DMK and VCK.
“They have a good standing and these people are honest,” he claims.
Arul says activism across the State has been hit following the rules framed by Ministry of Home Affairs under the The Foreign Contributions Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA).
“Many of the NGOs are struggling for foreign funds and many civil society organisations have shut down,” says Arul, who was also instrumental in filing an RTI on how much funds is coming from abroad and was reported by Express.