NDTV:
New Delhi: Friday, 16 October 2015.
Several
prominent activists have threatened to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
inaugural address tomorrow at the annual Right to Information or RTI convention,
as only ten of them have been invited for it.
Well-known
activist Aruna Roy, who has been invited, said at a press conference today that
the Intelligence Bureau or IB had run background checks on activists and many
had not been invited for security reasons.
"It is
severely restricted. The contribution of civil society has been appreciated by
everyone," she said adding, "We do not understand why this
Intelligence check was necessary. There have never been such measures
before."
Ms Roy and
the others invited for the PM's session have said they will boycott it in
solidarity with those who did not receive an invitation.
"The
Chief Information Commissioner reportedly wanted to invite more activists, but
the government did not allow it. This is the government's interference in the
CIC," the 69-year old activist alleged.
Rakesh
Dubbudu, an RTI activist from Hyderabad who has not made the list, said IB
officers had reached his parents' home and asked questions like what his
parents do and what they think about the government. He said he has attended
the convention since 2007 and had only now experienced an IB check.
But
government sources said such verification is routinely done. They also said
that invitations were restricted as the hall at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan where the
PM will make his address on Friday morning can accommodate only 1300 people and
the government wants to ensure the participation of many sections of people
involved with Right to Information.
"There
is no discrimination against anyone," they said.
In past
years, more than 200 RTI activists have attended the inaugural session of the
annual event, usually addressed by the President or Prime Minister. This year,
the meet celebrates the 10th anniversary of the RTI Act.
It was not
held last year because the Chief Information Commissioner had retired and no
one had been appointed in his place by then.
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