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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Govt plans RTI shield for political parties

Govt plans RTI shield for political parties

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published Published on Jul 24, 2013   modified Modified on Jul 24, 2013
-The Times of India


NEW DELHI: The Centre intends to exempt political parties from RTI scrutiny on the ground that they are not "substantially funded" by the government and so are not required to reveal details such donors and other funding sources.

The government expects to consult political parties to firm up a consensus on undoing the Central Information Commission order putting parties under the ambit of the Right to Information Act before approaching Parliament.

But while it prepares to engage political parties, the government is mustering arguments to counter CIC's view that political parties are "public authorities" as they enjoy subsidized offices, free air time and income tax exemptions.

CIC relied on Section 2(h)(ii) of the RTI Act that states that "public authority" includes any non-governmental organization substantially financed, directly or indirectly, by funds provided by the appropriate government.

Barring CPI, the other five parties affected by the CIC ruling - Congress, BJP, CPM, NCP and BSP - have hotly contested the interpretation. CPM said the order could be used by political rivals to "destabilize" parties and Congress described the ruling as "adventurist". BJP said the order's reasoning could be extended to cover media organizations that receive government advertising.

Official sources said political parties could not be said to be substantially funded in the manner suggested by the CIC as the quantum of government support was a small fraction of a party's overall expenditure.

"Parties have to raise crores to fight elections. A cheap office or free air time do not add up to even a few percent of a major party's expenses. It may sound hard to believe, but sometimes loans have to be raised to fight elections," the source said.

Armed with the backing of political parties, the government is set on scratching out the CIC order although activists and civil society campaigners are pleading with MPs not to do so.

Despite political parties finding the CIC ruling deeply irksome, the order has received popular support as it is seen as a response to the opaque manner in which parties conduct their affairs with elections seen to be funded by illegal wealth.

The suspicion that "black money" drives elections and leads to political parties cutting sweetheart deals with big business is deeply entrenched in public perception. Claims by politicians like BJP's Gopinath Munde that he spent Rs 8 crore on his election have cemented the public distrust.

The government is clear that it will not amend the RTI Act by way of an ordinance. This could even prompt parties opposed to the CIC ruling to take potshots at the government for acting in haste. Just when the amendment would be considered by the Cabinet will depend on the government completing consultations with political parties.


The Times of India, 24 July, 2013, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-plans-RTI-shield-for-political-parties/articleshow/21291061.cms


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