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| Can RTI Act be applicable to meetings between political lead ers ? | | | Early Times Report
Jammu,July 2:-Chief Minister,Omar Abdullah,met Prime Minister,Manmohan Singh,in New Delhi.The two discussed the latest security and political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.What information Omar Abdullah gave to Manmohan Singh about the security and political situation ?We do not know it.
Was the prime Minister fully satisfied over the improving security and political situation ? We do not know it.PCC Chief,Saif-ud-Din Soz,had half an hour long meeting with Manmohan Singh.The two discussed the latest situation in Jammu and Kashmir.Had Soz something new to inform the Prime Minister which Omar had forgotten to convey to Manmohan Singh ? We do not know.
Omar Abdullah met Governor N.N.Vohra in the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar and the two discussed the political and security scenerio in the state.Was the Governor satisfied with the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir?We do not know.
The Union Home Minister,P.Chidambaram,discussed the security situation with Governor N.N.Vohra and later with Chief Minister,Omar Abdullah.What were the speciic suggestion made by Chidambaram to the Governor and to the Chief Minister about ensuring further improvement in the security situation? We do not know ?
The Army Chief had an hour long meeting with the corps commanders,including the Army commander,in Udhampur.The two sides discussed the border and security situation in the state with reference to infiltration from across the LOC.Did the Army Chief express happiness over the situation?Did he suggest some new ways for checking infiltration? We do not know.
After the end of these meetings either of the side gives out a brief outline of the discussion which usually carries neither any head nor any tail.In some cases press releases are issued in which newsmen are informed about the number of persons present in the meeting.They are informed about the venue and time of the meeting and at the end the press release may say that in the meeting it was decided that the two sides may meet again.
As was in the past the recent meeting between India's foreign secretary,Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart,Salman Bashir,caused added confusion among people on both sides of the LOC because they were keen to know what exactly the two sides dicussed when the Kashmir issue figured in the discussion.
Rao and Bashir said several issues including Kashmir were discussed.Isn't it the right of people to know what was the reaction of Pakistan side when the Kashmir issue figured in the talks ?
Since these talks do not satisfy the curiosity of people all such deliberations need to be brought under the ambit of the Right to Information(RTI) Act.Once such meetings are placed under the unbrella of the RTI any person could seek detailed report on what transpired between Rao and Bashir.Once such meetings are brought under the ambit of the RTI one would be able to know that the two sides did not talk about weather or films but about Kashmir and terrorism.
Once such meetings are brought under the umbrella of the RTI one may be able to get a clear idea on the Prime Minister's views on rotational Chief Ministership.Omar has claimed that Manmohan Singh assured him that there would be no change of guard in the state.Was Manmohan Singh so clear and loud on this ticklish issue ?One may not know it unless such meetings are covered under the RTI Act.
One is not asking under the RTI as to the nature and content of conversation between Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah as one is not interested in such personal affairs.One is supposed to be interested in knowing the details of what transpired between Omar Abdullah and Manmohan Singh,between Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir,between the Army Chief and the corps commanders,between Mufti Sayeed and Manmohan Singh because whatever they have talked about are issues concerning common people.One can know something of everything only when these meetings are covered under the RTI Act.
Will the Government take this risk on keeping the bilateral deliberations as open as the sky ?Possibilities are remote.If the Government finds it difficult and impossible to reveal in detail what transpired between Islamabad and New Delhi it could experiment with dishing out complete details on meetings between Indian leaders within India ?(eom)
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