New Delhi, July 23 (TIWN) Congress Parliamentary Party Chairman Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the Centre over the Bill that seeks to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 saying the government sees RTI Act as a nuisance and wants to destroy the independence of the Chief Information Commission.

The latest amendments in the RTI Act lets the Central government notify the term of office for the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners (ICs). Condemning the amendments, former information commissioners and RTI activists had said that the law would end up being another ‘toothless tiger’ if the Centre fixes the term of service of ICs.  Upping the ante against the Narendra Modi-led Centre, Gandhi further stated, “The Central Government may use its legislative majority to achieve its aims but in the process, it would be disempowering each and every citizen of our country,”  Thus, the Bill invited criticisms from most of the Opposition members who blamed it for seeking to dilute the provisions of the RTI Act 2005 enacted during the first Congress-led government UPA government. The Bill was also considered an encroachment on the power of states.