Remember this, it is the Modi-led government which has diluted the Right to Information Act, an act which claimed to make India “corruption-free”. The legal formulation of the RTI came after a very long struggle. In the first economic survey of Modi 2.0 government, it was proposed that data should be a public good. But it would mean nothing if there is no transparency in laws such as the Right to Information Act. The government will present anything before us, and we will not be to able cross-check the information in the absence of this important tool.
Technically, the opposition can’t do anything—as the government has numbers with them in Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha. They can only put out their views in the parliament, which nobody would pay heed to. But apart from technicality, there should have been outrage all across the nation after the government’s move to amend the act. Government has no moral right to dilute the RTI Act, which was achieved at the cost of hundreds of people’s struggle. If data can be a public good, then why are the existing public goods such as the RTI being diluted without any discussion in the parliament?
The Modi government itself gained power in 2014 because of the RTI as a major factor which led to the information blast about the corruption under UPA II. Mr Modi always claims NDA to be a corruption-free government, then why is the RTI being diluted with almost no discussion at all? Media and the opposition are equally responsible behind the zero outrage against the amendment of the act. Thinking about those who have voted for the amendment is unimaginable and horrifying, even the BJP wouldn’t have imagined this if they were in opposition.
The UPA government had formulated the RTI, but they are drastically short of numbers these days. They can’t do much in the parliament, as the Modi government has an abysmal record when it comes to listening to the recommendations from their opponents. The only way left now is to organise a countrywide protest to stop the government from maiming this transparency law and disarming the citizens.