20 years of RTI Act: Bhupinder Hooda says BJP continuously amending and weakening the law

Chandigarh, Oct 12 (PTI) Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said the Right to Information (RTI) Act is a powerful tool to empower ordinary citizens "but the BJP has been trying to weaken the law".

In a statement issued on the 20th anniversary of the RTI Act, the former Haryana chief minister said that the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Manmohan Singh and the vision of Sonia Gandhi set a new example of transparency and accountability in the country by implementing this law on October 12, 2005.

"However, since coming to power, the BJP has continuously amended and weakened this law, depriving ordinary citizens of this powerful right," the Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly alleged in the statement.

Hooda said that this law was part of the UPA's agenda, which included public welfare measures such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Right to Education, the Forest Rights Act, and the National Food Security Act.

"The RTI empowered ordinary people, especially the most vulnerable sections of society, to raise their voices against corruption. However, since 2014, the BJP has been continuously weakening it, severely impacting the country's transparency and democracy," Hooda alleged. PTI SUN RUK RUK