Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) friendly gesture which helped the BJP at the Centre to cross the hurdles of passing the RTI (Amendment) Bill in the Upper House has caused outrage among the activists and people who are using the Act at the regional and national level.
As soon as the news started making the rounds on how the BJD had helped the saffron party on the RTI Amendment Bill, criticism against the regional party has escalated. The Bill allegedly tries to weaken the whole RTI process and its safeguard at the highest levels by allowing the government to decide on the benefits of the Information Commissioners.
In the past few days, the bestowing of favours to the BJP by the BJD and its chief is out in the open, particularly in political circles, ranging from donating a Rajya Sabha seat to their ‘on record rival party’ and now with their open-hearted support to the controversial Bill.
Noted Youtuber, Dhruv Rathee, castigated Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for favouring the Bill. On social media site, Rathee wrote, “Rajya Sabha has passed the Bill now. Shame on Naveen Patnaik and KC Rao, both BJD and TRS parties helped pass this disastrous Bill along with BJP. Say bye bye to government accountability now.”
Regional RTI activists, meanwhile, are also fuming for extending BJD support to a legislation which goes allegedly against the very spirit of transparency which the Naveen Patnaik government in the state is boasting about.
“This goes against the boasting of the Naveen Patnaik government about transparency. His party has mingled with the BJP and tried to bring a law to dilute accountability and transparency. The law aims to dilute the whole functioning of the RTI system in the country as well as in the state,” Dileep Samantray, an RTI activist from the state said.
Another RTI activist Pradip Pradhan said, “It is a matter of grave concern that the amendments to the RTI Law were introduced in complete secrecy and in flagrant violation of the Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy of the Centre which mandates public disclosure and consultation on draft legislations,”
“Owing to the undemocratic way of its introduction, the contents of the draft amendments were not known by MPs, citizens and the media till the bill was circulated to members of the Lok Sabha on the eve of its introduction,” he added.
The Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan, a conglomeration of RTI activists from Odisha, has written to the Prime Minister opposing the Bill terming it as a threat to the very idea of having such a law in the country.