RTI systematically weakened as it exposed PM’s claims, says Congress

The Congress on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of systematically weakening the Right to Information (RTI) Act, saying the law was targeted because it enabled citizens to fact-check the Prime Minister’s claims.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the Act’s implementation, the party said that for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), RTI stands for “Right to Intimidate”.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post on social media platform X, said a chilling “no data available” doctrine now prevails, as the government “brazenly” withholds information to escape accountability. “Since 2014, over 100 RTI activists have been murdered, unleashing a climate of terror that punishes truth-seekers and extinguishes dissent,” Mr. Kharge said.

The Right to Know turns 20

Addressing a press conference later in the day to mark the twentieth anniversary of the law, enacted on October 12, 2005 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, the party’s general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, “For the BJP, the RTI means Right to Intimidate.”