Cong demands early report on ‘irregularities’ from CAG

Can’t have probe to satisfy ego of ‘ill-informed’ leader: Govt

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday took the escalating fight against the government over the Rafale jet deal to the CAG and said the federal auditor told the party it is “already examining” the entire issue for its report to Parliament and assured all the contentions raised will be looked into.

As a delegation of Congress

leaders met Comptroller and Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi alleging irregularities in the Rafale deal and demanded an early report, the government said it does not think a JPC or a CAG inquiry is set up to satisfy the “ego of an ill-informed

leader” who repeats lies with alarming regularity. The remark by the government was apparently aimed at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress said the delegation was told that the CAG report will be submitted to the Parliament soon.

The delegation handed over a memorandum in which the government was accused of causing loss to the public exchequer and endangering national security by bypassing state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in favour of some businessman “friends” for offset contract.

The Congress has alleged that the fresh deal for Rafale fighter jets with France was inked by the Modi government at a cost much higher than what was negotiated by the previous UPA government headed by the party.

“The CAG pointed out that it is his constitutional and fundamental duty to audit all such purchases, procedures, award of contract and the CAG said that they are already examining the entire Rafale deal. They are examining the papers, they are examining the payments made, and they are examining the procedure and its violation.

“They assured that they will look at all the documents that we have brought in public domain and that they will very soon be submitting a report to Parliament after examining all the contentions raised by the Congress party,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.

He said the government is bound to provide full information to the CAG.

“The government is bound to disclose the price of 36 aircraft to scrutiny by the CAG, in accordance with law and there has to be a similar disclosure to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC), and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence,” he added.

In its memorandum, the Congress alleged violation of the mandatory provisions of the Defence Procurement Procedure in the “unilateral” purchase of 36 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation and that public exchequer lost Rs 41,000 crore due to the purchase.

The party said while the previous UPA government was buying Rafale jets for Rs 526 crore a piece, the rate fixed by the Modi dispensation was Rs 1,670 crore.

“We request the CAG to undertake its constitutional duty by conducting a time bound special and forensic audit by examining the record threadbare, so that the truth is told to the people of India in a comprehensive and transparent manner affixing the responsibility of the Modi government,” the memorandum said.

The party earlier demanded a probe by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) into the alleged irregularities in the deal.

The government rejected any kind of JPC or CAG probe.

“I don't think JPC or CAG inquiry is set up to satisfy the ego of an ill-informed leader who repeats lies with alarming regularity,” Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.

The government has been maintaining that HAL could not finalise the offset deal during the UPA dispensation as the then Manmohan Singh government did not support the public-sector aerospace company to enhance its infrastructure for manufacturing the aircraft in India under the transfer of technology.