Transparency revolution in India, but not everyone’s ready: Antony

Transparency revolution in India, but not everyone's ready: Antony

India is passing through a transparency revolution, but the four pillars of democracy are not yet ready for the transition, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Wednesday in the backdrop of a mass movement against corruption.

"Our country is passing through a transparency revolution. Walls of secrecy are crumbling gradually. But politicians, bureaucracy, judiciary, business people, armed forces and journalists are still not ready for this transition to transparency," Antony said at an event in the Press Club of India here.

"But they will have to follow the transition and I don't think anybody can take any step in a different direction," he said.

Noting that the Indian parliament had contributed to the transparency revolution, Antony referred to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in 2005, as one of the major steps in this regard.

"You cannot stop this transparency revolution. It is percolating to all walks of life in India. That is the beauty of Indian democracy and nation. This is the transition the Indian society wants," he added.

He also praised the media and NGOs for contributing to the revolution and noted that Right to Information (RTI) would spread to every walk of life, with the private sector too joining the transition soon.

"Nothing is permanent in a democracy. Change is a must," he said. He also appealed to the media to remain independent in its role.

Antony's comments come at a time when the anti-graft movement started by Gandhian Anna Hazare with a five-day fast in April has caught the imagination of the entire country and yoga guru Baba Ramdev too joined the movement with his own agitation last week.