It is
irrefutable fact that the Centre, by filing an affidavit saying that the
political parties should not be brought under the ambits of the Right To Information
(RTI) Act, has shown its consent to laundering the black money in the country.
Some political parties have already decided that the political parties need not
provide accounts for donations of amounts up to Rs 20,000.
Presently many
political parties have been accepting donations of lakhs of rupees from big
businesses for election funds and dividing them into parts, each of Rs 20,000.
Each of these parts are shown as donations by bogus people. Thus amounts of
unaccounted amounts of lakhs of rupees are being laundered.
Presently the
political parties are maintaining some restraint because they are afraid of the
RTI Act. However, the possibility of political parties collecting donations of
lakhs of rupees and laundering the money by showing it as amounts donated by
bogus people cannot be ruled out if they are excluded from the ambit of the RTI
Act.
During
election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji had promised to bring the
black money back from abroad in 100 days and deposit Rs 15 lakh in account of
each citizen. The black money stashed abroad was not brought back. Moreover, it
can be said that now attempts are on to allow some political parties to launder
the black money in the country by excluding them from the ambit of the RTI Act.
Ever since
our country became a republic, the citizens have become owners of the country.
The citizenry owns the government treasury. Therefore, being owner of the
country and its treasury, every citizen has the fundamental right to know where
and how the money is being spent. This is why RTI Act has been enacted. Political
parties get many concessions from the government. This means they get money
from public funds. Therefore, the citizens must have the right to information
about that money. A number of agitations pressing for the RTI Act were staged
in Maharashtra from 1995 to 2002. Maharashtra was the first state to enact the
legislation in 2002 and later in 2005 the law was made by the centre too.
Under
such circumstances, why today, ten years after the RTI Act was enacted, the
government has apprehension about the misuse of the act?
In fact,
political parties not only collect donations of lakhs of rupees but also get
concessions from the government. The pertinent question is as to why special
audit of such political parties is not carried out by the election commission. Every
paisa that a party has must be audited. If all organisations and institutions
in this country are audited, why political parties should not be audited? The
central government’s argument that the RTI Act will be misused for political
one-upmanship is not justifiable. On the contrary, people are being mislead
because of the fear that if political parties are brought under the ambit of
the RTI Act, they will have to provide the accounts to the people and would not
be able to launder the black money.
Nobody
will be able to misuse the provisions of this Act if the political parties and
government machinery upload on their websites the information on 17 points they
need to disclose mandatory under section 4 of the RTI Act. These 17 points
would contain so much of information that once it is disclosed, nobody would be
required to seek any further information. Isn’t the government aware about
these 17 points under section 4 of the Act? Is it misleading the citizenry
intentionally?
Exclusion of
political parties from ambit of Right To Information Act is murder of
democracy. During the election campaign, this government had promised time and
again that once it comes to the power, it would give priority to fight against
corruption. Its election agenda too contained this promise. The RTI Act might
not have ended the corruption. But the irrefutable fact it that it has curbed
corruption to a large extent.
Exclusion
of political parties from ambit of the RTI Act at a time when the political
parties are infested with corruption is a pointer towards the government turning
its back towards the promises it had made during the election campaign.
The
difference between the earlier government and this government would have been
clearly visible had it had the will to curb corruption. However, even today no
work can be done without paying bribe. The corruption has not reduced even
after the change in the rule. The fact is that the prices are increasing
instead of decreasing because of the increasing corruption and life has become
difficult for people. Under such circumstances, what is the difference between
this government and the previous government? There was hope that concrete steps
would be taken to address the problems faced by the people in their daily life
and to curb corruption and price hike. However, it did not happen. The promises
of implementing the One Rank One Pension scheme, providing one and a half times
more value to agricultural produce compared to the production cost, curbing
corruption to some extent by implementing Lokpal and Lokayukta Act have
remained unfulfilled.
People
agitated all over the country between August 16, 2011 and August 24, 2011 to
press for the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act. Lakhs of people came on to the streets.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji is not unaware about it. Many ministers in the
present government were then playing the role of the opposition party. The
parliament passed the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act by overwhelming majority on
December 17, 2013. The president too has given his consent to it. All that the
government of Narendra Modi Ji was required to do was to implement that Act.
However, the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act has not been implemented though one and a
quarter year has passed since the change of the rule, Even appointment of
Lokayukta in every state on the lines of Lokapal would have curbed the
corruption in the country to a large extent. However, the government is not acting
to curb the corruption.
The
government insists on implementing the Land Acquisition Bill that is unjust to
the farmers by issuing ordinance although the farmers from all over the country
are opposing it. Ordinance in this regard has been issued on three occasions.
However, unfortunately the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act is not implemented although
it has been passes by the parliament. All political parties must be brought
under the ambit of the RTI Act because the citizens have the right to get
information all organisations, which receive money from government treasury. If
this government plans to exclude political parties from the ambit of the RTI
Act, people have no choice but to launch agitation on the streets.
In fact
the peoples’ parliament is superior to the political parties, election
commission and central government. Therefore, the opinion of the peoples’
parliament, which means view of every voter in the country, must be taken into
consideration. The voter is the real owner of this country and the government
treasury. He has fundamental right to know where his money is being spent.
Therefore, exclusion of political parties from ambit of RTI Act is insult to
democracy.
Under
such circumstances, I will be launching hunger strike at Ram Leela Maidan, New
Delhi on October 2, 2015 which marks the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi
and Lal Bahadur Shastri. I appeal to the people who have same views to
participate in this agitation.
Thanks.
Yours
K. B. alias Anna Hazare)
