Bengaluru, 12 Aug

The State government informed the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that it is open to reviewing rules under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, after both ruling and Opposition MLAs said that the law was being misused by activists to “harass” and “blackmail” officials.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil made the statement while replying to a question by Bailhongal Congress MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi, on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during the Question Hour.

"RTI is a revolutionary legislation by the Central government to bring transparency in administration. But the State government can frame rules under the act. If we come to know about the misuse, we can take action," he said.

“We see RTI applications being filed through proxies. Repeated applications are filed by some people just to harass officials. The cost per page is fixed at Rs 2, this is causing the problem. For BPL applicants, there is no fee for up to 100 pages. This is leading to a lot of misuse," he claimed.

In some cases, information spanning 20 years is being sought under the RTI Act, forcing assignment of an official solely to provide details, he complained.

In response, Patil said the government has blacklisted 26 RTI activists.

RUCKUS OVER DHARMASTHALA

BJP demanded a statement from Home Minister G Parameshwara in the Assembly on the status of the SIT probe into the Dharmasthala "mass burial" case.

Parameshwara said he would make a statement once the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submits its report. The exchange led to arguments, after which Speaker UT Khader asked BJP members to raise the issue on Wednesday.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP MLA Sunil Kumar said there have been attempts to disrespect Hindu religious centres. “How many more pits will you dig? Just because someone said so, you can’t keep digging,” he said.

Senior BJP MLA Suresh Kumar referred to Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's statement that the State government caved into pressure from Left-leaning organisations to form the SIT.

In response, Rao said, "We (government) are unbiased, we are not in favour of any one side… Truth should come out.”

WHY WAS RAJANNA SACKED?

BJP pressed the Congress on the removal of KN Rajanna, who contradicted the ruling party over the vote theft allegations.

The government, however, refrained from any discussion.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad and Suresh Kumar demanded that the Chief Minister, address the issue. Hitting back, Minister Priyank Kharge asked the BJP why MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal was expelled from the party.

'CM, DyCM, HM MUST QUIT OVER RCB STAMPEDE'

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Assembly and BJP leader R Ashoka yet again reiterated his demand for the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stampede. He also sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.