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From the documented interaction between the PAC and the CAG, it is apparent that Joshi made his priorities clear, and they did not entirely come from a spirit of disinterested inquiry. To take another example, he also overrode then finance secretary Ashok Chawla’s view that there could be several possible inferences from the available information, and that the task was best left to independent experts; a high school student could assess the losses, claimed Joshi. The PAC chairman repeatedly tried to access the CAG’s audit findings, reminding it that if its report was delayed, “the executive might get the time to cover up”, and that it would make sense for the PAC to time its report with the CAG’s, given the heightened interest in the case. With this communication taking place against the backdrop of intense parliamentary drama over the alleged irregularities in 2G spectrum allocation, the way Joshi actively pushed for the synchronisation of two independent reports raises questions. Even after the PAC secretariat was told that the CAG could not share its findings before they were tabled in Parliament, Joshi asked again, twice, for the audit findings. As a veteran parliamentarian, Joshi was bound to know that this could be seen as a case of less than strict adherence to parliamentary procedure
On paper, it would seem that the CAG handled the situation well, protecting its turf. It refused to share its report before the audit was completed, circulated in the ministries concerned and finalised, then given to the president and presented on the floor of the House. Yet, there will be questions about whether or not the CAG’s final estimates were influenced by the hectoring from Joshi.
Why PAC chairman Mr. MM Joshi, a senior politician of BJP, it is understandable that as BJP leader his interest in publishing the report at earliest, and in conclusion adverse to Govt. working. But as Chairman of PAC , he is supposed to further enquire into the report CAG to pin point fault in the Govt., therefore influencing the report of CAG as per requirement of his party, I think is foul play on his part. It is like magistrate start interfering in police investigation to get IR to his /her liking, that only means judgement has already been reached, only supporting IR is required. Can we allow such thing to go on in interest of justice? If party play is allowed in this case, will it not be undermining of institutions we want to build?
To imagine that a constitutional body like CAG reputed for its independence and which cannot be pressurised even by the prime minister is itself preposterous and that too on the basis of the report of a retired fry who himself has signed the report and has now the audacity to say that he signed under pressure. It is clear that it is now that he is under pressure perhaps in anticipation of post-retirement-favour. CAG has rendered a yeoman's service to the nation and any attempt to casitigate can only be seen as a desperate action of a party immersed under the quagmire of corruption.
An institution given an independent position under the constitution which cannot be pressurised even by the prime minister could not be imagined to have been influenced by the Chairman of JPC. CAG has performed what is known as Propriety Audit in the utmost professional manner and done a yeoman's service to the nation. Statement of a retired fry who has himself signed the report and now says he signed under pressure appears to be on the face of it tutored. Castigating a constitutional body on the basis of such statement by a party immersed in a quagmire of corruption is a desperate move. What is the gurantee that he is not doing this under pressure from congress?
It is disgusting to read this piece of editorial. Mr. Gupta you might as well start working as a official sopkesman of Congress. It is shame to Indian Express and Late Goenka.
This is indeed a timely article in IE. It is for no small reason that BJP removed Jaswant Singh who was earlier PAC head and brought in MM Joshi as head of PAC. The whole world knows that BJP is undeclared political unit of RSS. To assume that MMJoshi will not use any political pulls is unfair. Earlier CAG Chaturvedi has been absorbed by BJP. It is good to note that this CAG properly presented his report. That the report had inaccuracies is another matter. Making issues out of PAC and CAG intentions is childish. There is no smoke without fire. It is UPA minister's FCFS basis which created all this issue in the first place. UPA should scrap this process and publicly accept the mistake. Instead of Politics, let UPA seek apology and pardon for a wrong practice followed. A strong persons like the PM can easily admit mistakes. BJP politicians are not karma-believers as they only engage in actions keeping achieving of end-results paramount. All for political divisions and one-upmanship.
Undue importance is being given to questions like whether CAG was influenced by PAC or the losses calculated wrongly by CAG. The ultimate and proven fact is that actual losses (at least few thousand crore) has incurred because of Raja and UPA Govt.'s corrupt handling of 2G allocation. That needs to be first corrected, other procedural lapses can be examined later. Maybe without push from PAC the matter had been put under carpet.
Documentary proofs have established the fact that Joshiji has tried to meddle with the CAG's loss estimates in 2g spectrum; CAG's claims in other 'scams' also raises the doubt as to whether the CAG has made itself a play tool in the hands of some vested interests. To ensure fairness to all players and to prevent any individuals's whims dont upsets the institutions of democracy, CAG is made a multi member body.
The tradition of appointing an opposition party member as the head of PAC would invariably prove troublesome to the ruling govt as the appointee would still be bound to his party and act to advance its interests.
