Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge (File Image) NEW DELHI: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday criticised the Centre, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is weakening the RTI in the name of data protection. In a post on X, the Congress chief said that his party will not allow RTI to weaken and added that they have raised our voice and will continue to do so. “On one hand, India has been topping the charts on Misinformation and Disinformation for the past years and on the other hand, the Modi government is bent on weakening the Right To Information (RTI) Act implemented by the Congress-UPA by bringing in the Data Protection law,” the Congress chief posted in Hindi on X.He also said that the public access to information, including ration card lists, MGNREGA beneficiary workers, public welfare scheme participants, electoral rolls, and details of loan defaulters who have left the country after borrowing from state banks is important.”Whether it is information related to public sector like ration card list, beneficiary labourers of MGNREGA, names of people involved in public welfare schemes, voter list in elections, or the names of scamster billionaires who take loans from government banks and flee abroad – it is important for the names of all these to be available in public domain for the people. But now the Modi government is weakening the RTI in the name of Data Protection, due to which such names will no longer be made public,” Kharge said.He pointed out that the Congress-implemented RTI already incorporated privacy safeguards, whilst maintaining that this should not prevent disclosure of beneficiary lists or details of those involved in financial irregularities.”The Congress party will not let RTI weaken, we have raised our voice for it earlier also, and will continue to raise our voice from the streets to the Parliament. We will keep fighting against this dictatorial government to secure the rights of the people!” the Congress chief declared.
‘Government is weakening RTI in name of data protection’: Congress Chief Kharge slams Centre | India News
