Former Director General of Audit, Post and Telecommunications, CAG, RP Singh clarified on his earlier claim that Public Accounts Committee Chairman and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had influenced the 2G report that indicted the government. He said that he had been misquoted by The Indian Express newspaper which had carried the report stating that he had taken the name of MM Joshi in the role of preparing the 2G report.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, he said, “I do remember that there is documentary evidence where it is stated that a member of PAC had asked to calculate losses using a particular formula. I cannot confirm the name but I can confirm the content.”
RP Singh says he was misquoted in The Indian Express report. IBNLive screengrab.
There is no documentary evidence of MM Joshi influencing the report and he had been misquoted by the newspaper, he added.
RP Singh also said that he had gone to MM Joshi’s house once but he had learned that some of the other CAG officials had gone to his house several times. He said, “…when my people went more than once, rather more than 3-4 times, I asked them what are you doing there. Then they told me that PAC report is being written and we are assisting.”
He however refused to comment on whether this action was unwarranted and unjustified.
In the same vein he also said that the CAG report that he had prepared on the 2G auction should have been revealed in totality by the current CAG Vinod Rai when he had presented presumptive loss figures that he had already deleted.
He also said that he had been compelled to sign the report even though he was not in complete agreement with the contents of the report. He said, “There was an order I had to comply. There was no scope for refusal, ” adding that there was no tradition of disagreeing or opposing the orders of the CAG in the department he worked.
RP Singh however stood firm in his denial that he was trying to appease or help the government through all these revelations at this point in time when the 2G auction has just been concluded. He said, “Whatever I have said, I am not politically motivated.”
