This refers to the report, “Cabinet clears changes in RTI Act” (August 2).
The Union Government's proposal to bring a draft Bill to keep the political parties out of the ambit of the RTI Act is a retrograde step. Expectedly, all political parties, foregoing their ideological and political differences, have joined hands in a rare act of solidarity to arrive at a consensus on a matter of mutual interest. Political parties make rules for others but do not like to come under those rules. Some political parties are trying to confuse the public by saying that if they come under the RTI, they will have to divulge information about their internal deliberations like policy matters, organisational decisions etc. But that's not true.
Another argument advanced by the political parties is that their accounts are already submitted to the Income Tax authorities and the Election Commission. However, since these statements of accounts are in a consolidated form, details about their source of funds and utilisation cannot be found out. Only the RTI Act can make these details known.