II
Sir,
In a free for all democracy like that of ours people have the right to know as to where from the truck loads of currency notes, thousands of liquor cases, hundreds of vehicles, scores of licensed and unlicensed arms and lakhs of gifts come in the constituencies just before elections and how the political parties use all these things to influence the voters and damage the opponents in so called free and fair elections. How 450 out of 545 MPs and more than 30 per cent legislators, as per Association of Democratic Reforms, made it to the Parliament and the assemblies when serious to very serious cases were pending against them? Had there been State funding of elections in India, the affairs would have been different but every body knows that the major political parties in India enjoy the glory of the parallel economy which is one of the reasons of criminalisation of politics.
If the major political parties decide in the national interest that detailed correct and complete accounts shall be maintained by all the participatory parties which shall be open to public scrutiny by the use of RTI or otherwise, then and then alone one can think of fair elections. The question arises as to why the Govt. like other political parties is scared of the CICs ruling if they believe in fairness, transparency and accountability? The Govt does not miss even the slightest chance to tell the people in counting their achievements that it was because of them that the RTI Act was passed in Parliament and it is the same RTI Act which then are trying to defeat. They, while self patting and self praising do not mean what they loudly speak for.
Yours etc….
S.K. Rekhi (Senior)
825-A G. N. Jammu
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