The Congress on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of systematically “weakening the Right to Information (RTI) Act” through the newly enacted Data Protection Law. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that his party would continue to fight against the “dictatorial” regime to protect people’s rights.
Taking to X, Kharge slammed the Modi government, stating, “On the one hand, India has been coming on top in misinformation and disinformation for the past few years. On the other hand, the Modi government is bent on weakening the RTI Act, implemented by the Congress-UPA, by bringing the data protection law.”
The Congress argued that the new law obstructs the Right to Information under the pretext of Right to Privacy, potentially concealing crucial public data. Kharge warned that this could restrict access to details on public welfare schemes, MGNREGA beneficiary lists, ration card holders, voter lists, and even financial defaulters who have fled the country after taking loans from government banks.
“Right to Privacy was also taken care of in Congress’ RTI, but it does not mean that the list of beneficiaries or the names of fraudsters should not be made public,” Kharge emphasized.