Manmohan’s RTI mischief

Prime minister Manmohan Singh’s concerns about the Right to Information Act are mischievous and dangerous. He has speciously raised the bogey of ‘frivolous and vexatious’ use of the act, suggesting that this cannot serve any public purpose. As strangely, he has also said that sometimes information covering a long span of time or a large number of cases is sought in an omnibus manner to discover inconsistencies or mistakes which can be criticised and that these serve little social purpose. The prime minster is completely in the wrong. The exposure of mistakes and inconsistencies in the workings of government if  they appear from numerous cases over a span of time, shows the erroneous functioning of government, which is a matter of public interest. Further, what appears frivolous or vexatious to to those in power may, in fact, be very relevant information for the citizen. Further, a democratic government is, by definition, an honest and open enterprise. It is also nobody’s private property. Most aspects of government functioning should be open to public scrutiny, if only to ensure that the government does not violate laws and procedures. The only exceptions relate to national defence, which is already covered by the RTI Act. As absurd are Singh’s concerns about the infringement of privacy, with his understanding of the legal position being false. The RTI Act is with reference to government. Queries under it only touch upon individuals when they are involved in government functioning or when government finances are affected. They relate to information regarding the violation of rules and laws by individuals associated with government. This is not personal information. Misuse of government facilities by ministers or by a prime minster and family is not a private or personal matter but is in the public domain.

Not surprisingly, the prime minster’s attack on the RTI Act comes when his government is under the scanner for numerous scams. It also comes when RTI queries have been raised about Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s medical trips abroad and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s foreign travels. The prime minister has himself been questioned through RTI applications in the past regarding violation of rules at AIIMS for medical treatment..The prime minster’s attack on the RTI Act, is thus, not innocent. This Act is a model legislation that empowers citizens. This right flows from the constitution and introduces transparency and accountability in the workings of the government. The prime minister, and this government, must not be allowed to get away with their attempt to whittle it down.