Lok Satta Welcomes CIC's Demand

The Lok Satta Party today welcomed the Central Information Commission's (CIC) verdict about bringing political parties under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

He said that the verdict may not be palatable to those who have converted political parties, which ought to strive for social good, into private estates. It will, however, make parties transparent, and truly accountable to people, what with them having to share details of their income and expenditure, should the public demand it, he said.

Lok Satta Party Vice President D V V S Varma said, in a media statement, that the people have a right to know about the functioning of the parties which seek their votes.

Varma recalled that the Lok Satta has been in the forefront of seeking a law to regulate the functioning of political parties.

"Political parties should be transparent in raising and spending funds, choose office-bearers through democratic elections, and allocate party tickets by sticking to certain standards. The Lok Satta Party is the first in the country to place its audited income and expenditure statements on its website," he said

Varma said that the CIC recommendation is a small but significant step in electoral reforms. He added that to eradicate the influence of black money and the culture of vote buying, the present first-past-the-post system should be replaced by a proportional system of representation with adequate safeguards in Indian conditions. (INN)