CPI-M leader and opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly V S Achuthanandan on Saturday accused the Congress-led UDF government of excluding VACB matters related to Chief Minister, ministers and other officials from the ambit of Right to Information Act.
Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau matters related to Chief Minister, former chief ministers, cabinet colleagues, former ministers, IAS and IPS officers were excluded from RTI Act by exercising provisions under 24(4), he alleged.
This provision has to be used only for excluding security personnel from the RTI Act, Achuthanandan said.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and the BJP wanted the government to withdraw the notification issued in this regard by the government.
Achuthanandan also asked the state information commissioner to examine the matter.
KPCC President V M Sudheeran in a statement asked Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to withdraw the notification.
Slamming the government, CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan said an attempt was to sabotage the RTI due to fear that government's "true face" would be exposed.
"The notification also made the Chief Minister's slogan of transparency hollow," Vijayan, former CPI-M state secretary said.
Attacking the government, BJP state president Kummanom Rajasekharan said Chandy was trying to impose censorship through back door.
Government came out with such a notification because it seems to be "jittery" over the daily exposes of corruptions", he added.