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A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh advocated taking a “critical look” at the Right to Information (RTI) Act, senior BJP leader LK Advani on Saturday criticised him and said his party was opposed to any such move as it had proved to be an effective tool for transparent governance.
The senior BJP leader said only some time ago, the Government had showered praise on the legislation, saying it had brought transparency in the governance.
“My party is opposed to any reviewing of the RTI Act because I do believe that it is an effective device for making Government transparent,” he told mediapersons in Jabalpur.
He said the PM had made his comments at a time when nobody was complaining about the RTI Act. Criticising the Government, the BJP veteran reiterated that he had “never seen a Government more corrupt and more dysfunctional and paralysed than this Government.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had joined two of his ministerial colleagues to advocate review of the transparency law. He had said even as the efficacy and the effectiveness of the RTI Act is recognised and celebrated, taking a critical look at it was a must. The Prime Minister had also said there was a need to strike a balance between the need for disclosure of information and the limited time and resources available with the public authorities.
The PM’s view has already attracted criticism from the RTI activists who said the Government should give evidences of inefficiency of the law.
This apart, on the issue of his Prime Ministerial ambitions, he said he would decide on it depending on his “health” and “capability” to contribute at the time of Lok Sabha polls.
When asked in Umaria what his response would be if there was a consensus in the party on his name for the PM’s post, the 84-year-old leader said, “It depends on my own assessment of how much I can contribute and health.”
He dismissed party leader Uma Bharati's comment that anyone who raises the corruption issue from Varanasi goes on to occupy the top position. He reminded that he had started his yatra from Sitabdiara in Bihar and not from Varanasi.
About allegations against his own partymen of distributing money to reporters in Satna, Advani said once the allegations were brought to his notice, he immediately spoke to the state president (and asked) what is this, a question has been raised to me about corruption and action has been taken.”
The former Deputy Prime Minister, who is on his yatra against corruption, admitted that “satta parivartan” (change of Government) was one of the objectives of his 38-day cross-country campaign.
The senior BJP leader said only some time ago, the Government had showered praise on the legislation, saying it had brought transparency in the governance.
“My party is opposed to any reviewing of the RTI Act because I do believe that it is an effective device for making Government transparent,” he told mediapersons in Jabalpur.
He said the PM had made his comments at a time when nobody was complaining about the RTI Act. Criticising the Government, the BJP veteran reiterated that he had “never seen a Government more corrupt and more dysfunctional and paralysed than this Government.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had joined two of his ministerial colleagues to advocate review of the transparency law. He had said even as the efficacy and the effectiveness of the RTI Act is recognised and celebrated, taking a critical look at it was a must. The Prime Minister had also said there was a need to strike a balance between the need for disclosure of information and the limited time and resources available with the public authorities.
The PM’s view has already attracted criticism from the RTI activists who said the Government should give evidences of inefficiency of the law.
This apart, on the issue of his Prime Ministerial ambitions, he said he would decide on it depending on his “health” and “capability” to contribute at the time of Lok Sabha polls.
When asked in Umaria what his response would be if there was a consensus in the party on his name for the PM’s post, the 84-year-old leader said, “It depends on my own assessment of how much I can contribute and health.”
He dismissed party leader Uma Bharati's comment that anyone who raises the corruption issue from Varanasi goes on to occupy the top position. He reminded that he had started his yatra from Sitabdiara in Bihar and not from Varanasi.
About allegations against his own partymen of distributing money to reporters in Satna, Advani said once the allegations were brought to his notice, he immediately spoke to the state president (and asked) what is this, a question has been raised to me about corruption and action has been taken.”
The former Deputy Prime Minister, who is on his yatra against corruption, admitted that “satta parivartan” (change of Government) was one of the objectives of his 38-day cross-country campaign.
