New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit out at the Congress after former CAG official RP Singh did a volte-face on his claims on the national auditor's 2G report, saying the ruling party is in the habit of damning and denigrating institutions whenever it stands embarrassed.
"This has become the habit of Congress party. Whenever it embarrasses them or whenever they are in trouble, they try to damn the institutions. They have done the same thing earlier also. You are all aware, denigrating and destabilising the institution from time to time is the old habit of Congress party starting from the Emergency times," BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said.
He cited the examples of the government expanding institutions like the Election Commission and said it was attempting to do so for the CAG and even the PAC. Naidu also criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for starting the criticism of CAG and undermining the Public Accounts Committee when he questioned the figures reported in the CAG report on 2G.
"On the first day the Prime Minister said that these figures are disputable and we will challenge it before the Public Accounts Committee. PAC is an independent body of Parliament. The Prime Minister is saying what the PAC is going to do?," Naidu said.
"This is unfortunate. The Congress is totally exposed. Congress should reply to the nation on this issue," he demanded. The BJP leader said the ruling party should have taken care before raising fingers at institutions like the CAG on the basis of claims by retired officials like R P Singh, who has made a U-turn on his allegations.
He said the government's attempts to denigrating institutions is "not a small issue, it is a serious matter."
Former CAG official RP Singh had on Sunday said, "I knew the content of the report...There was a written order. I had to comply. There is no scope for refusing. You would earn wrath," he said. Singh said there "is no tradition of disagreeing or opposing orders of CAG in my department".
He had also said that he was misquoted by a newspaper that PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi sought to influence the CAG report on 2G whilst the report was being prepared.
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