Need a stronger lobbying law in India, says I&B Minister Manish Tewari

New Delhi: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari says it is time to enact a law on disclosing lobbying by politicians and corporates after allegations that Walmart had bribed its way into India. Tewari was speaking to Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate.

Below is an excerpt of the interview:

Karan Thapar: Has the time come for India to create, like the Americans have, a lobbying disclosure act which makes it compulsory for political lobbyists to be registered and secondly, which makes it compulsory for periodic disclosure of the amount spent and how they were spent?

Manish Tewari says it is time to enact a law after allegations that Walmart had bribed its way into India.

Manish Tewari: I think that is a fair point that you make. The time has come that we need to put in place a statutory architecture which makes these declarations essential.

And I will even go a step further that even legislators, members of Parliament and people in the executive, if they have in the past or continue to represent a particular company or a group of companies in their professional capacity that interest must be declared even before they participate in a debate.

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