After being reprimanded by the Supreme Court for his comments against the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) for its report on the 2G spectrum allocation, Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday said he meant no disrespect to any institution.
“I mean no disrespect to any institution... I have neither directly nor indirectly tried to interfere with any process going on. I mean no disrespect to any institution… I have never ever wilfully or otherwise tried to challenge any authority or bring disrespect to any institution,” he told journalists here.
Mr. Sibal, however, welcomed the Court's observation that no one should comment on the CAG report. “I wish that the Supreme Court had made this observation earlier as that could have prevented an unnecessary controversy.”
Coming down heavily on Opposition parties and the media for their “canards” against the government, Mr. Sibal said it was unfortunate that the government was not being allowed any forum to put forth its views on the issue, while the Opposition and the media continued to tarnish its image.
Mr. Sibal said as a Minister he was aware of his responsibilities, obligations and duties. “We stated what we believe was the truth...therefore, we placed it in the public domain. The Opposition is trying to take undue advantage from the issue …we just put our words before the people.”
Notably, Mr. Sibal had rubbished the CAG findings in 2G spectrum allocation that the loss to the exchequer was to the tune of Rs.1.76-lakh crore, saying these were “utterly erroneous.”
Referring to Parliament's Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi's letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for his remarks against the CAG report, where Dr. Joshi has sought “prompt” and “effective” steps to stop such “constitutional impropriety” by Ministers, Mr. Sibal said he was pained by this. “I have greatest respect for all constitutional authorities…I never tried to interfere in any [investigation] process.”
The Minister lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for taking the high moral ground on the issue. Referring to the aluminium casket scandal during the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime, Mr. Sibal said the BJP then undermined the authority of the CAG by distributing pamphlets against the audit body to all MPs even before the report was tabled in Parliament. “What happened to CAG authority then…why did not BJP leaders spoke then,” he asked.
