PAC, CAG slam Sibal
Say remarks ‘highly improper’
PTI
NEW DELHI, JAN 12
The high decibel attack on the CAG by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Congress spokesman Manish Tewari was today countered by the PAC and the Government auditor which termed such a campaign as “improper” and one that could be contempt of the House.
The PAC, which met today, considered the remarks of Sibal and Tewari in the context of its report on the 2G spectrum allocation and the sense of the members was that these were an attack on the dignity of the two constitutional organs.
At the PAC meeting an attempt was made by a senior Congress member to distance the party from the remarks by the two were not the stand of the organisation.
But Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi produced a CD containing critical remarks of Sibal in television interviews almost suggesting that the “leak” of the report on 2G spectrum scam was from the CAG and statements of Tewari, sources said.
“The sense of the PAC was that Sibal’s remarks were improper, against propriety and an attack on the dignity of PAC and CAG”, Joshi told reporters here.
At a press conference last week, Sibal had described as “utterly erroneous and without any basis” the estimated loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore arrived at by the CAG on account of allocation of 2G spectrum to telecom operators.
Joshi said the forum of the Committee was available to the minister to make any observation or suggestion on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocations.
Contesting Sibal’s remarks, Joshi said CAG had never said that its estimates on presumptive losses to the exchequer were final.
“The CAG had only mentioned three different figures based on three different models to calculate the presumptive loss. It had never said the report was final”, he said.
He said the PAC would consider steps that were necessary to avoid repeat of such incidents.
In reply to a question, Joshi said there was no suggestion or proposal before the Committee today to call Sibal for seeking clarification on his remarks.
The CAG also came out with a statement, second in three days, describing Sibal’s comments as “highly improper”.
“Making public comments on the matter which is being considered by a Parliamentary Committee is highly improper and may even amount to contempt of the House”, the CAG said.
The Minister’s view was later supported by Congress MP and Tewari, who lashed out at the CAG accusing it of violating canons of Parliamentary propriety.
“The CAG after holding a live press conference on 2G spectrum issue is now advising MPs not to comment on it because the matter is being considered by PAC.
“It is an exotic logic that after going live with presumptive losses contained in CAG report in flagrant violation of canons of Parliamentary propriety, now CAG is resorting to argument of propriety”, Tewari had said yesterday.
The CAG statement said as per rules of Parliamentary procedure “When any matter is under consideration of a Parliamentary Committee and the Committee is holding its sittings for that purpose, no persons, including a Member of Parliament should make or publish a statement or comment about that matter”.
Rebutting the charge of Sibal and Tewari that the report was discussed even before it was tabled in Parliament, the CAG said the report was tabled in Parliament on November 16 and Deputy C and AG held a press conference on the same day to explain its findings to the media.
It has been a procedure since the 1980s that CAG officials hold a press conference after the report is tabled in the House to brief the media.
