Team Herald
Panjim: Expressing disappointment over the stand taken by the ruling Party, with regards the hunger strike by RTI Activist Rajan Ghate at Azad Maidan, the Goa RTI Forum has appealed to the Government to reconsider its stand.
The Goa RTI Forum was referring to the Press Conference addressed by its President Vinay Tendulkar yesterday when he said that Ghate was a Congress worker,
It further says that the citizens in general may be aligned to some political party or the other but they do not cease to be citizens merely by entering into political parties.
“So too is the case with RTI activists. There are many RTI activists who are in the Congress, many in AAP and there will be many in the ruling party as well. But they are all citizens of this Country and need to be respected. Arvind Kejriwal, a prominent activist in now in Aam Aadmi Party. Our own Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has himself been a very prominent exponent of the RTI Act and has utilised it to good effect in the past,” the release states.
The Forum further states that another significant BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy has exposed so many corrupt practises through the RTI Act.
“It is pertinent to note that BJP has been one of the first political parties to have a special RTI Cell through which it has filed several applications on various issues during the previous regime, to expose wrongdoings of the previous Government. Will all these people cease to be activists simply because they are part of political parties?” it asked.
Terming hunger strike as a non-violent form of protest, the forum says, Government must not look at it negatively.
“The issues raised by Mr Ghate need to be addressed. Labelling someone as activist belonging to “X” political party or “Y” political party and putting that person down is not the right way for a progressive thinking state like Goa,” the forum suggests.
Goa RTI Forum recalls that when Rajan Ghate had observed a hunger strike last time to appoint RTI Commissioners in Goa, it was Manohar Parrikar himself who met Rajan and assured him to take necessary action in the matter.
“Parrikar, at that time, we must recall, called himself the “biggest supporter of RTI”. Ghate has been a prominent figure in the state who has fought for preservation of Goa’s land. In the past, he has exposed the violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by foreigners in buying lands and following his agitation, the Centre had issued notices to 400 properties in Goa purchased by foreigners,” the Forum says.
In view of this, Goa RTI Forum appealed to the Government and the ruling party to reconsider its present stand vis-à-vis Ghate whose hunger strike enters its 7th day today.
Forum said the government must take a sympathetic view towards the activist and National Award RTI winner.
“As his health keeps deteriorating day by day, some engagements and talks with the activist to get him to end his hunger strike and get back to good health will be the right way ahead,” it added.
