Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 12 : As the Right to Information (RTI) Act completed 20 years since its implementation on October 12, 2005, senior Congress leaders on Sunday credited former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for introducing one of India's most transformative transparency laws.
Addressing a press conference in Shimla, AICC Incharge for Himachal Pradesh Rajni Patil, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President Pratibha Singh, and AICC Spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore highlighted the significance of the RTI Act while accusing the NDA government of systematically diluting its essence through successive amendments.
"The history of the Right to Information Act has completed 20 years. The credit goes to Sonia Gandhi ji and Manmohan Singh ji," said Rajni Patil, adding that during the UPA government, Congress leadership had also given the nation landmark rights such as Right to Education and the Right to Food Security.
Pratibha Singh alleged that "the NDA government today is trying to hide issues under the RTI Act. During COVID, when people died due to a lack of oxygen, even RTI applications seeking such information were not allowed," she said.
Echoing views of both the leaders, AICC Spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore said, "Our party incharge and leadership have informed us that the RTI Act has completed 20 years. To bring transparency, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave this law to the people of India."
He further alleged that the BJP-led Union government has tried to weaken the Act since 2014. "The amendments brought in 2019 and 2023 have destroyed the basic spirit of the RTI. Personal information is now excluded, and even the post of Chief Information Commissioner remains vacant," Rathore said.
He added that out of the 29 information commissions across the country, thousands of cases remain pending, and several crucial details, such as the Prime Minister's foreign visits, COVID-19 deaths, the PM CARES Fund, and the PM Relief Fund, are kept out of the RTI's ambit.
"We protested against the creation of the PM CARES Fund when there was already a PM Relief Fund. People have no knowledge of how these funds are being used. Industrialists have donated to the BJP under the electoral bonds scheme 'chande ke badle dhandha'," Rathore alleged.
The Congress leaders also pointed out that the Whistleblower Protection Act, though passed, remains unimplemented. "Nothing has been done to protect whistleblowers and RTI users," they said.
Marking the 20th anniversary of the RTI Act, the Congress announced it would launch a nationwide campaign through press conferences to revive awareness and demand action from the Union government.
The party also presented six key demands to strengthen the RTI framework, which includes repealing the 2019 amendments to restore the independence of Information Commissions and ensure a fixed 5-year tenure with secure service conditions, Review Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, which weakens the RTI's public-interest purpose.
Fill all vacancies in Central and State Commissions transparently and on time. Set performance standards for Commissions and make public reporting of disposal rates mandatory. Fully implement the Whistleblower Protection Act to safeguard RTI users and whistleblowers and Ensure diversity in commissions by including journalists, activists, academicians, and women.
The press conference, jointly addressed by AICC incharge, HPCC chief Pratibha Singh, and AICC spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore, underlined the Congress Party's resolve to "protect and strengthen" the RTI Act as a cornerstone of India's democratic transparency.