May 6th 2024.
In the city of Bhubaneswar, a seminar was held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan on Sunday, organized by Odisha Suchana Adhikar Abhiyan. The event, titled "Electoral Bonds and our Right to Information," saw a gathering of concerned citizens, including notable social activist and co-convenor of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, Anjali Bharadwaj. In her speech, Bharadwaj raised serious concerns about the Central government's actions that she believes are weakening the Right to Information Act, which is vital for a truly democratic country and empowers its citizens to question those in power.
Bharadwaj did not mince words as she accused the government of deliberately trying to weaken the RTI act through various amendments. She highlighted how the government is attempting to control the salary and tenure of Information Commissions, which would ultimately make them less effective. Furthermore, she pointed out that the government is planning to exclude certain schemes from the act's purview, making it difficult for citizens to access important information. She also brought to light the fact that four states - Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Telangana - do not have proper Information Commissions at all, which is a major cause for concern.
One of the main issues discussed at the seminar was the controversial Electoral Bonds scheme, which Bharadwaj described as a ploy by the Central government to make corruption legal. She explained how big corporates provide large sums of money through bonds to political parties, with the BJP being the biggest beneficiary. Even the BJD received a significant amount of bonds worth Rs 1,000 crore. Bharadwaj emphasized that the non-disclosure of these donations is a clear violation of the Right to Information. Joining her in the discussion were veteran Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhusan and Amrita Johri, members of NCPI and SNS.
In a recent landmark verdict, the Supreme Court declared the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional and halted its further sale. The court also directed the disclosure of all bonds sold and redeemed, exposing the extent of corporate donations to political parties. The State Bank of India's attempt to delay the disclosure of crucial information was also rejected by the court. Shockingly, the data revealed that corporate groups and individuals have purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 12,155 crore, and political parties have encashed bonds worth Rs 12,769 crore since April 12, 2019. The BJP was the biggest beneficiary, receiving Rs 6,060 crore, which accounts for over 47% of the total amount of bonds encashed.
The panel at the seminar was united in their demand for a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) to thoroughly investigate the electoral bonds scheme. It is clear that the citizens of India will not stand idly by while the government attempts to weaken their right to information and perpetuate corruption.
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