NEW DELHI: Communist Party of India has strongly opposed the government’s “imprudent move” to amend the 2005 law on Right to Information. The party also questioned the government’s intent, saying that it not only being done without being put in public domain for a debate, but also under an “unconvincing plea” that the proposed legislation only sought to revise salaries of RTI officers.

Under the 2005 law, the Chief Information Commissioner is eligible to get the same salary as the Chief Election Commissioner. In states, the Information Commissioners and Election Commissioner are at par.

Threatening “dire consequences” if the Act is made less transparent or if RTI officers are made “subservient to the ruling regime by playing with their emoluments”, the Left party said any “covert” move by the Modi government is not acceptable.

The national secretariat of the CPI also said the government had deliberately avoided prior consultation with stakeholders and had initially contemplated an ordinance. However, the amendment bill has now been listed for “introduction, consideration and passing” in parliament, and will kill the spirit and essence of the Act that was enacted after serious national debate.

In 2014, a Pre-legislative Consultation Policy was adopted by the government in which it was mandated that all draft legislations, including subordinate legislation, must be placed in the public domain for 30 days to invite comments. The policy also said the summary of these should be made available on the concerned ministry’s website prior to being sent for Cabinet approval. In the case of the present proposed amendments, none of this due diligence, CPI said, has been done.

The party said it also “seriously objects” to the move to exempt electoral bond and donation to political parties from the purview of the RTI Act .

