Parties unite to dump RTI

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New Delhi, June 4: Political parties today spoke in one voice against the Central Information Commission order bringing them under the Right to Information Act, which would open up their books and decision-making to public scrutiny. "We totally disagree with the CIC order. This will cause great harm to the democratic institutions. This is unacceptable," Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said. The BJP was less direct, but made it clear where its heart lay. "The directive has created confusion because we have two constitutional entities, the CIC and the Central Election Commission, whose authorities would overlap," party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. Parties are "morally accountable to people" and "legally and constitutionally accountable to the CEC", he said. NDA ally Sharad Yadav, of the Janata Dal (United), echoed Naqvi and went on to add: "The CIC has acted outside its jurisdiction. The government should step in." The demand that the government step in was also made by the CPM, which said the order of the information commission yesterday would "hamper the functioning of a political party" and that a party was "accountable to its membership". "Opponents of a political party can utilise the RTI as an instrument to destabilise a party," the party said in a long statement. Sources said the government was expected to call an all-party meeting soon to discuss the way forward. A UPA leader who asked not to be named suggested amending the "RTI Act to exempt political parties if there is a consensus on this issue". "Why leave such a sensitive issue to the judiciary?" the leader asked. Finance minister P. Chidambaram, speaking at a cabinet meeting, made it clear the government did not agree with the order. "CIC order is a rather unusual interpretation of the provisions of the RTI Act. To describe political parties as public authority strains credulity," he said. Another minister, Salman Khurshid, said: "There is a logic of RTI and this is reflected in its orders. The logic will be tested at various levels, including by the courts…. I think it is important to keep a practical control of RTI objectives because it cannot be allowed to run riot." http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130605/jsp/frontpage/story_16973176.jsp#.Ua9DW9KBlA0