Don't fall for fear mongering: BJP on RTI amendment bill

After UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi raised a stinker over the Right to Information (RTI) amendment bill, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday asked the people not to fall for fear mongering.

The amendment bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday amid objections from the opposition. 

In a detailed statement, the BJP said the RTI amendment bill in no way tends to compromise the autonomy or independence of the RTI Act, 2005. 

"The present amendment is merely an enabling legislation which will authorise the government to frame rules by amending Section 27 and to deliberate upon the tenure and terms of services of Central and state Information Commission through Section 13 and Section 16 of the RTI Act, 2005," the statement said.

In the statement, which was uploaded on BJP's twitter handle, the saffron party gave a list of eight fact check points. It said the commitment of the Narendra Modi government to strengthen the RTI is borne by the fact that this government introduced a 24-hour portal and a mobile application for the convenience of filing RTI 24x7. 

Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi issued a statement which said the Central government sees the RTI Act as a nuisance and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission. IANS