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Allegations against me about CAG audit of 2G scam baseless: PAC chief

He also blamed the government for trying to malign the only two institutions that keep a check on irregular activities in the government.

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PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi Wednesday trashed as "baseless" allegations that he tried to expedite the CAG audit of the 2G spectrum allocation terming the charge as a "childish" attempt to tarnish the image of the two institutions.

"These allegations are totally false and baseless. It is an attempt with malafide intentions to malign the CAG and the PAC," he told reporters here.

His remarks comes in the wake of a fresh controversy that broke out with the surfacing of a letter from CAG official R B Sinha to Deputy CAG Rekha Gupta on July 13 last year which suggested that Joshi had called up a CAG official to press for expediting auditing work into spectrum allocation.

Joshi said he had made the phone call only to inquire about status of the CAG report. He said the CAG had assured the PAC in its meeting on January 28, 2010 that he would submit the 2G report within the next six months.

"The Committee has the right to ask the CAG where was the report he had said would be ready in six months," he said.

Pointing out that there were only two institutions -- the PAC and the CAG -- that keep a close watch on the government, he accused the UPA of destroying them.

"I protest these attempts very strongly. The UPA should not try to dismantle these institutions... Will you attack the institutions because they are unravelling corruption... This is constitutionally wrong and dangerous for democracy," he said.

Joshi said he had made the phone call on July 13 last year to RB Sinha, Director General (Report Centre) in the CAG because he was the nodal officer appointed by the government auditor for the PAC.

To repeated questions on he seeking a briefing from the CAG on the 2G report, he said he was merely asking him about the status of the report which the CAG had promised would be ready in six months.

"I asked him to explain the delay in the report. I never asked him to explain the contents of the report," he said.

Joshi said the note in question was based on the inference drawn by Sinha of his talk with him which was in Hindi.

The PAC chairman also released an internal communication of the CAG which referred to assurance given by the top auditor on finalising the report on allocation of 2G spectrum as also 'revenue sharing' within six months.

He said the CAG had told the PAC that the delay in preparing the report was due to non-availability of documents related to the 2G case from the ministry of finance.

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