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Nirveek Bhattacharjee (Baltimore)
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Vishal Kudchadkar (Los Angeles)
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DATE:  August 20

PLACE: College Park, Maryland, USA

The Save Right to Information Campaign Celebrates as

The Indian Govt Withdraws RTI Act Amendments 

In a major victory for Indian citizens, who raised a unified voice against the proposed Amendments to the Right to Information Act, the Indian government decided to withdraw the proposed changes to the existing Act, and promised to follow the democratic process in any future action on this issue. Anti-corruption crusader, Padma Bhushan, Shri Anna Hazare, who was on an indefinite hunger-strike, has welcomed the decision and called off his fast on August 19th, as did Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay awardee, a few days earlier. In solidarity, the Save Right to Information Campaign, has also called off all scheduled plans for global hunger-strikes, demonstrations and protests and joined in the celebrations.

"Finally, the will of the people has prevailed. Congratulations and a huge thank you to all those who participated in this campaign in various capacities and reaffirmed our belief in the power of a united stand by the people”, said Vishal Kudchadkar, a Los Angeles resident and one of the coordinators of the Save Right to Information Campaign.

NRI groups in the US, including several chapters of the Association for India’s Development (AID), Asha for Education, Praja Net, India Friends Association, AIMS India, Indians for Collective Action, NIH Indian Association, had come together to mobilize Indians to join the Save Right to Information campaign.

AID and Asha chapters organized awareness camps and signature drives in Washington DC, Durham, Boston, Philadelphia, Bay Area, Columbus, San Diego and Chicago. Over 5500 Indian citizens had signed petitions and 870 sent faxes to the Prime Minister, urging him to reverse the amendments. 73 people across the globe joined in solidarity fasts supporting the activists on hunger-strike in India.

AID and Asha volunteers got in touch with over 50 project partners and NGOs in India, encouraging them to raise awareness through pamphlet distribution, organize peaceful rallies outside local government offices, hold referendum ballots, and call their local legislative members.

Dedicating this victory to the hard work and tireless commitment of the grassroots activists in India, Somu Kumar, a volunteer based in Virginia, said, “Without the leadership of Aruna Roy, Sandeep Pandey, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Nikhil Dey, Sailesh Gandhi, this victory wouldn’t have been possible.”

Congratulating the Indian citizens who took up the cudgels in the fight against corruption, Aruna Roy, a Magsaysay awardee and a pioneer of the RTI-campaign, said "It is a victory for the people - the people who voiced their concern against corruption, who took part in the protest, who filled the ballot boxes.”

Over 50 phone calls were made and 250 emails sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, Members of Parliament, the Ministry of Personnel, the Indian Embassy and Consulates, by NRIs, expressing their disappointment over the Government’s action and discussing the retrogressive effects of the proposed amendments. A delegation from the Save RTI campaign also met with the Indian Ambassador to the US, Mr. Ronen Sen, on August 10th.

“It is really a shot in the arm for people who thought they could make a difference from here”, says Arun Gopalan, an AID volunteer from Maryland, who coordinated the call-in efforts from the US.

Samyuktha Gorrepati, an AID volunteer in Hyderabad, says, “Our work has just begun; we need to talk to our NGO partners and generate awareness on the RTI Act nationally, so that it becomes an effective tool against corruption in the hands of the common man.” 

Reiterating the need for a wider campaign, a cautiously optimistic Sirish Agarwal, a key coordinator of the campaign and a volunteer with Asha-DC, says, “The struggle is not over until the government decides to bury the amendments that are against the letter and spirit of the Act.” The Save RTI Campaign will continue its efforts to protect the Right to Information and urges all citizens to join the campaign, as this Act concerns every one of us.

The withdrawn amendments were seeking to exempt "file-notings" from the purview of the Right to Information Act, thereby keeping the decision making process under covers. Along with Shri Anna Hazare, several prominent non-governmental organizations, people’s movements, grassroots and civil society groups all over India, including Parivartan, National Campaign for People’s Right to Information and Asha Parivar, were sitting in a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since August 7th, 2006, protesting the authoritarian action of the Indian Government.