BJP leader P. S. Sreedharan Pillai said on Monday that the order of the Central Information Commission, holding that political parties come under the ambit of Right to Information Act, would further cleanse politics.
Welcoming the decision, the BJP leader said that openness and better interaction would help political parties that faced decay. “The order will promote higher transparency and efficiency and check degeneration of political parties.”
Mr. Pillai, who is a practicing lawyer, told The Hindu that the order expanded the scope of Act and it would benefit the polity. “Political parties have a commitment towards the people and hence should be providing them information.”
RTI activist D. B. Binu said that it was a path-breaking order. However, it did not go into the grey area of information on political strategy.
Mr. Binu recalled that people could indirectly get information on political parties through public authorities such as the Income Tax Department. The order of the Commission had now defined political parties themselves as public authority under the Act.
However, what would happen if someone seeks information on deliberations of decision-making bodies of political parties such as the CPI(M) Polit Bureau. If the party gives wrong information on decisions taken by such bodies, what could be the remedy? The order did not go into the issue, he noted.
