New Delhi:
Former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai has alleged that ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to check corruption duirng his tenure - most notably in 2G spectrum and coal blocks allocation. Mr Rai's estimates of massive losses in these scams had pushed the UPA government into a corner. In his soon-to-be-released book "Not Just an Accountant", Mr Rai has singled out Dr Singh for stinging criticism.
He speaks to NDTV's Barkha Dutt. Here are the highlights:
- On 2G scam: Not aware of statements made by Mr Raja, but our audit reports are based on facts
- Prime Minister said he will keep himself at an arm's length; you cannot do such thing in a parliamentary democracy
- The PM should have taken a stand, he should have consulted 2G spectrum allocation with a Group of Ministers
- Former minister Ashwani Kumar asked me if PM's name could be kept out of the audit report
- Nothing to suggest PM was complicit in 2G scam, he looked away
- (Congress MPs) Sanjay Nirupam and Sandeep Dikshit wanted me to keep the PM's name out of audit reports
- 3-4 Congress MPs said they saw reason in my 2G report
- Former telecom minister A Raja wrote to the Prime Minister about his course of action, so PM knew
- Unfair to say PM acted as an agent of his party leadership
- The presumptive figure of loss to government (Rs 1.76 lakh crore) figure was a red flag, an alarm
- Wrote a dozen letters to PM on many issues, he didn't respond
- CAG's office got tremendous support from the media and judiciary
- My book is not to find fault with anyone
- My book is about bringing transparency in government procedures
- On aircraft purchase by Air India: In an August 2004 meeting, the government advised them to go and take a longer perspective
- Air India is an expert professional body, that is why the CMD protested in that meeting
- I am not targeting Praful Patel
- The debt went up to six billion dollars
- The process in government is that any proposal coming from a Public Sector organisation should be verified, but the ministry took it to the Finance Ministry, which then raised doubts on this proposal
- 'This is a supply driven proposal' - these were the exact words of the Finance Ministry
- The draft report had not come to the CAG at that time
- I think it was a gross commercial miscalculation by Air India to buy extra aircraft
- On coal block allocation: I found it a strange thing that the coal minister rejected PM's auction decision
- The auditing procedures are very structured
- There are very limited circulations of these reports
- We were holding press conferences only to explain these reports to the media
- I have come out with this now because the shackles of these don't apply to me
- Politics is not my cup of tea
- For the last 16 months, I have proved that it's not my cup of tea and I still believe the same
- Everybody has all options open