Hindu Business Line:
Kochi: Monday, March 17, 2014.
Are major
national political parties answerable to the public under the Right to
Information Act?
Yes,
according to P Sharafudheen, a right to information (RTI) activist from
Kerala’s Kannur district, who has asked the CPI(M) to reveal certain
‘sensational’ information. In June 2013, the Central Information Commission
(CIC) had brought political parties under the purview of the RTI Act.
“No court has
yet stayed the CIC decision and neither has the Central Government promulgated
an ordinance to the effect, though it had made attempts to neutralise the
decision under pressure from the parties. Unfortunately, because of the
controversies created by the political parties, most people think that the
decision has been overturned,” said Sharafudheen.
‘A
personal murder’:
As Kerala
readies for polls on April 10, Sharafudheen’s questions under the RTI Act are
likely to cause much embarrassment to the CPI(M), which has been on the
defensive over the May 2010 murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party founder TP
Chandrasekharan (popularly known as TP).
Though three
of its local leaders, along with eight others, have recently been sentenced to
life imprisonment, the party has consistently denied any role in the murder.
Last week, however, the party expelled KC Ramachandran, one of the three life
convicts, from its primary membership, saying he had been instrumental in the
murder because of his ‘personal animosity’ towards TP. An ‘inquiry by a
committee set up by the party’ had shown that only one party member had been
involved in the murder and that it was purely a personal thing, not political.
Queries
that hurt:
Sharafudheen,
who believes the party inquiry and the report were a sham, has asked for a copy
of the probe report. He also wants to know: Who were the members of the inquiry
committee?
How many
sittings were held, and when and where? Were the family, relatives, associates
and friends of TP questioned? Were the party leaders (who had allegedly
conspired in the murder) questioned?
He has asked
the CPI(M) to answer within 48 hours. “I will wait for seven days before taking
legal steps,” he told Business Line.
He pointed
out that, in order to comply with the CIC directive, parties need to appoint
PIOs (public information officers) to answer questions raised under the RTI Act
by the public.
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