GUWAHATI: Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he termed as a deliberate weakening of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 — a law once hailed as a cornerstone of transparency and accountability in governance. Addressing the media on Sunday at Rajiv Bhawan, Saikia highlighted that over 23,000 RTI cases remain pending before the Central Information Commission (CIC), largely due to vacant posts of Information Commissioners, which he said reflects the government’s indifference towards transparency.
He further accused the BJP-led government of concealing key information during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the lack of disclosure on donations to the PM CARES Fund and the non-publication of election bond details. Saikia asserted that these actions have “eroded public trust and weakened citizens’ right to know.”
Calling for immediate reforms, Saikia demanded the repeal of the 2019 RTI (Amendment) Act, which, he argued, curtailed the independence of information commissioners. “To ensure a corruption-free and accountable system, the original provisions of the RTI Act must be restored,” he said.
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