Tweaked transparency law clears RS hurdle
NEW DELHI: The Right to Information (RTI) bill seeking significant changes to the transparency law has passed the Rajya Sabha test despite the opposition's objections, with the government bringing the fence-sitters on board. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly spoke to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the support of his Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The Congress walked out of Rajya Sabha before voting.
The RTI bill provoked heated exchanges in the House on Thursday, with the opposition demanding that it be referred to a select committee. The proposed law was passed on Monday in the Lok Sabha, where the government enjoys a majority.
"Parliament has to scrutinize. It needs time for scrutiny. This is not a T-20 match," Trinamool Congress member Derek O'Brien said.
Another member in the opposition benches quipped that the bill was "not like making Dosa".
Sources say non-aligned parties like the BJD, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR Congress agreed to support the RTI bill, greatly helping the government in Rajya Sabha where it does not enjoy a numerical majority
"We will support the RTI (Amendment) Bill... It is not correct to demand that all bills be sent to the Standing Committee or Select Committee," Vijaysai Reddy of the YSR Congress said.
The TRS, which had earlier opposed the bill, had a change of heart reportedly after home minister Amit Shah dialled Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has strongly objected to the changes the government has proposed to the RTI law.
The Congress and other opposition parties had resolved in a meeting to demand in the Rajya Sabha that seven of 16 pending bills, including the RTI Amendment Bill, be sent to a select committee.
The RTI changes will allow the government to decide the tenure, salary, allowances and other terms of service of the Information Commissioners at the centre and states.
Opposition parties, which have termed the amendment the "RTI Elimination Bill", argue that authorising the government to take a call on the employment and pay of RTI authorities will take away their independence.
