In disallowing voters from knowing the identity of donors, the scheme is even more opaque now Last month, an investigative series on electoral bonds by independent journalist Nitin Sethi, with the help of Right to Information (RTI) activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd), exposed how the BJP leadership misled the Election Commission (EC) and Parliament on […]
transparency
How candidates and political parties are using social media for electoral campaigning?
The idea of social media as a force-multiplier in politics has gained virality in our minds, especially in last four years. According to Datareportal’s Digital 2019: India report, 1 out of total population of 1.361 billion, around 41% i.e. 560 million Indians are active users of internet and total no. of active social media users […]
Crime and Money in Electoral Politics: How can this trend be reversed?
Systemic corruption and sponsored criminalization have corroded the fundamental core of elective democracy and consequently, the constitutional governance. On one hand there is a free flow of unaccounted money at the disposal of political parties during elections and on the other hand, criminal elements have been playing a major role in the electoral process in […]
Lok Manch – Corruption in Politics
देश के किसी भी सिस्टम में कमियां ख़त्म नहीं होंगी जब तक पोलिटिकल सिस्टम में कमियां ख़त्म नहीं होंगी, कानून को लागु करने के लिए संस्थाएं हैं, उन संस्थाओं के ऊपर भी पोलिटिकल कण्ट्रोल हैं, डायरेक्ट या इनडायरेक्ट यह एक अलग बात है लेकिन कानून व्यवस्था और क्रिमिनल जस्टिस सिस्टम काम नहीं कर सकता जब […]
Political Parties Get It All Wrong On Right To Information
The very folks who gave us RTI Act are screaming blue murder as political parties are brought under the transparency regime. Their apprehensions are misplaced and arguments misinformed. June 3, 2013 turned out to be very similar to July 8, 2002. How and why? On June 3, 2013, the central information commission (CIC) announced a […]
Financial Transparency: Let’s Start With Our Legislators
The debate stealing the limelight in the past few weeks has been about the new fervor in the government to control the burgeoning problem of black money in the country. Prime minister Narendra Modi has been reiterating his pledge to battle black money, roping in Indian banks to unveil the wealth that has been stored […]