LoP Rahul Gandhi gives dissent note at CIC selection meet

New Delhi: Lok Sabha's leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday submitted a note of dissent during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah about the selection of chief information officer, eight information officers and a vigilance commissioner, as per Congress sources. Gandhi is said to have opposed the shortlisted names, pointed out that probables lacked representation from the socially backward and minority communities, objected to the short time allowed to scrutinise the list besides other things.

While the PM heads the search panel, Shah and Gandhi are its members. The meeting lasted for almost an hour and a half and occurred at the PM's office in Parliament. The government side and Gandhi made no remarks about the meeting or the names considered.

There are indications that Gandhi's note of dissent may have contained his critique of the state of RTI and about the heaps of unanswered queries pending before the information panel, and regarding the numbers of posts remaining unfilled. The LoPs have routinely submitted notes of dissent during the meetings of several search committees.