Jaipur, Oct. 13 -- The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee on Sunday released a statement accusing the BJP-led central government of systematically weakening the Right to Information (RTI) Act since 2014, while simultaneously crediting the previous UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh with the vision to empower citizens through the transparency and accountability provisions laid down within the act, which came into force on October 12, 2005. In a press release, state president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Tikaram Jully, said that the act became a lifeline for marginalised sections of society, helping them secure entitlements such as rations, wages, pensions and scholarships. The statement alleged that the Centre attempted to undermine the "democratic framework" of the country through moves such as the 2019 amendments to the act, that curtailed the autonomy of information commissions by allowing the central government to decide commissioners' tenure and service conditions, and the 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act for expanding the definition of "personal information" to restrict public access to vital data, thereby eroding the principle of transparency. The statement also highlighted the severe shortage of commissioners - with only two serving in the Central Information Commission - and the growing backlog of over 4 lakh appeals and complaints across the country. The statement cited examples of Shahla Masood and Satish Shetty, who were killed for exposing corruption, stressing the need to enforce the long-delayed Whistleblowers Protection Act. Meanwhile, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, in a post on X on Sunday, also expressed concern over the alleged "weakening" of RTI under the Modi government. He also pointed out that in 2019, the powers of Information Commissioners were reduced. Currently, nine positions, including that of the Chief Information Commissioner, remain vacant, with only two Information Commissioners appointed, he said, adding, "It is unfortunate that the Modi government is gradually attempting to undermine RTI due to vested interests." Commenting on the remarks, BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharawaj said that Ashok Gehlot was constantly flattering the Gandhi family to protect his lost legacy. "Everyone knows that Congress believes neither in democracy nor in transparency. Congress is a party of scams that only understands looting. RTI is a right of the people, and under the Modi government, it has been further strengthened," he added....