The Economic Survey’s suggestion to re-examine certain aspects of the Right to Information (RTI) Act has reopened a long-standing debate in Indian politics. The Congress has criticised the move as an attack on transparency, even as similar concerns were voiced by its own senior leaders during the UPA years. The episode highlights a recurring institutional dilemma: how to balance openness with the practical demands of governance.
Author : Aashiya Jain | EQmint | Political News
Why RTI Still Provokes Strong Reactions
The RTI Act, enacted in 2005, fundamentally reshaped how citizens interact with the state. It empowered ordinary people to ask questions that were once impossible to raise about delays, decisions, and misuse of public resources. Over time, it became more than a law; it turned into a symbol of accountability.
That emotional and political weight explains why even a suggestion to “review” RTI sets off alarm bells. For many, the fear is simple: once transparency begins to shrink, it rarely expands again.
What the Economic Survey Actually Suggested
The controversy began with a section in the Economic Survey that argued for reconsidering how RTI applies to internal government communications. The Survey pointed out that draft notes, preliminary discussions, and internal deliberations are part of decision-making processes and may not always be suitable for public disclosure.
The argument was framed as an efficiency issue rather than an ideological one. According to the Survey, constant exposure of internal debates can discourage frank discussion and lead to overly cautious governance. Importantly, it did not recommend dismantling RTI, but refining its scope.
Congress Pushback and the Politics of Transparency
The Congress responded sharply, with party leaders accusing the government of attempting to dilute a landmark law. They linked the Survey’s suggestion to broader concerns about institutional weakening citing delays in information commissions, reduced independence of watchdog bodies, and mounting RTI backlogs.
Politically, this response fits into a larger opposition narrative that frames transparency as being under threat. The language used was deliberately strong, aimed at mobilising public sentiment around a law that enjoys wide moral legitimacy.
The UPA Years: An Inconvenient Historical Echo
What complicates the debate is history. During the UPA government, senior Congress ministers such as Salman Khurshid and M Veerappa Moily openly expressed concerns about RTI’s impact on governance. Their worry was not about public accountability, but about the chilling effect on internal discussions.
They argued that if every note or exchange could later be scrutinised, officials would stop recording honest opinions. That concern about defensive bureaucracy replacing candid debate mirrors the logic now cited in the Economic Survey.
This continuity suggests the issue transcends party politics.
Transparency vs Governance: A Structural Tension
From an institutional perspective, the question is not whether transparency matters that debate was settled long ago but how it should function in practice. Most democracies protect internal deliberations while ensuring final decisions and outcomes remain open to scrutiny.
India’s challenge lies in drawing that line clearly and narrowly, without creating loopholes that enable secrecy.
What This Moment Really Reveals
This episode highlights a deeper issue: trust. Trust that governments will not misuse exemptions, and trust that transparency mechanisms will not be weaponised to paralyse administration.
RTI has survived for nearly two decades because it forces governments into uncomfortable conversations. The current debate is less about rolling back rights and more about whether India’s political system can discuss reform without reducing it to political binaries.
For citizens, vigilance remains essential. For policymakers, any review must strengthen credibility, not weaken it. And for political parties, memory not selective outrage matters most in sustaining democratic debate.
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Resource Link : TheIndianExpress
