Thaindian News

Lucknow, June 11 (IANS) The Congress has decided to take recourse to the Right to Information (RTI) Act and legal routes to expose the “corrupt practices” of Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Bahujan Samaj Party, state party leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said Saturday.

“You all should come forward for using the potent tool of the RTI against the misdeeds of the state government. Moreover, more and more public interest litigations (PILs) should also be filed so that inquiries can be initiated against the state government,” said Joshi. Joshi, who heads the Congress in the state, was addressing a gathering of party activists at a function organised by the legal and human rights cell.

“PILs and RTI applications are the two important ways through which we can strengthen our fight against the state government and can even expose it. The Congress should form legal committees and cells at district level for taking up the public issues,” she added.

In April, Joshi accompanied by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi filed RTI applications, seeking details about the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) programmes in Uttar Pradesh.

“On June 27, it will be two months since we filed the RTI applications… we are still to get the adequate information,” she said.

Joshi said that for the upcoming state assembly elections, party could give tickets to lawyers who are found to be taking up public issues.

“Lawyers are real custodian of social order. They would surely be considered for contesting the upcoming elections. Preference would be given to those who work for the public,” said Joshi.

She also declared that the Congress “will not take anybody’s” assistance for the 2012 state assembly elections.

“We are confident of receiving the mandate and forming a government on our own,” Joshi asserted.