UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi alleged on Tuesday that the Modi government was “hell-bent on completely subverting” the RTI Act and wanted to “destroy” the independence of the Central Information Commission, a day after Lok Sabha passed amendments to the Act amid strong Opposition protests.

She said the law, prepared after widespread consultations and passed unanimously by Parliament, now stands at the “brink of extinction”. It is clear that the present central government sees the RTI Act as a “nuisance” and wants to destroy the status and independence of the Central Information Commission, Gandhi said.

Gandhi said, “Over the past decade and more, 60 lakh of our countrymen and women have used RTI and helped usher in a new culture of transparency and accountability (in) administration at all levels.” The foundations of India’s democracy have, as a result, been strengthened immeasurably, she said.The weaker sections have benefited greatly by the proactive use of RTI by activists and others, Gandhi said.