New Delhi: Former Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) Vinod Rai’s claim that the previous government at the Centre had deputed politicians to get him to leave out names from audit reports on Coalgate and Commonwealth Games scams has kicked up a political storm.
The Congress on Sunday attacked the former CAG, saying “sensationalising” things had always been his staple. The BJP, meanwhile, said the Opposition party stood “exposed,” and demanded that the names of leaders who “approached” Mr Rai to get him to drop the names of those involved in scams during UPA rule be revealed.
Mr Rai, who demitted office last year after several runins with the UPA government, and had estimated a “national” loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crores in the 2G spectrum scam, and of Rs 1.86 lakh crores in the coal scam, was severely critical in his comments on the former PM.
Mr Rai said that he would provide details of how sheer survival considerations led Mr Singh to acquiesce in decisions that caused a huge loss to the exchequer. Hitting out at Mr Rai Congress leader Manish Tewari said, “If at all, he was under any pressure ... was it not incumbent upon him to make it public at that point of time.”
The JD(U) too questioned the timing of the disclosure, saying if Mr Rai would have revealed it before, it would have been taken more “seriously”.
Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal felt that Mr Rai appears to be inclined on joining the BJP. He suggested that “guidelines should be framed” against these kind of people so that they do not indulge in sensationalism.
REACTIONS
- If at all, Mr Rai was under any pressure or he was being coerced that certain people be named and others deleted, was it not incumbent upon him to make it public at that point of time — Manish Tewari, Congress leader
- To speak about such things after retirement has become a fashion. It is a new trend to write a book after retirement and take up sensitive and sensational issues in it so that the sale of the book increases — Traiq Anwar, NCP leader
- We want the Congress to reveal the names of those who were putting pressure on the former CAG — Bizay Sonkar Shastri, BJP spokesperson
- Mr Rai should have disclosed the matter before. It would have been taken more seriously — Ali Anwar, JD(U) leader
