New Delhi : Members in Rajya Sabha on Thursday termed RTIs and PILs as a ‘big problem’ for the country; with Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal alleging that the Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed “under US pressure”.
As some other members also joined in expressing concern during the Question Hour over the misuse of RTI, Government expressed readiness to look into the issue of “misuse” of RTI. Calling it a law “passed in a hurry”, Praful Patel (NCP) said that there is no locus of people seeking answers under RTI. “Some ‘panwadi’ (betel leaf seller) or ‘chaiwala’ (tea vendor) can also ask who made a missile programme or anything on international relations,” he said. Seated in the treasury benches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has frequently referred to his modest origins as a tea seller, began laughing at Patel’s reference to tea vendors. Leader of the House Arun Jaitley, who was seated next to Modi, also smiled.
Patel soon sought to make amends by saying he did not make this remark keeping Modi’s origin in mind. “There is no disrespect to the Prime Minister. Rather it is an honour,” he said. Under this law, anybody can pay Rs 10 and seek information about missiles, he said and asked “is the government willing to consider amendments in this Act.”-PTI
