INVC,,
Chennai,,
Whenever the Congress is in trouble or faces criticism they try to weaken the institutions even if they are constitutional bodies. They did the most atrocious thing to supersession of judges during Emergency. Now they are trying to undermine the institution of Comptroller & Auditor General of India. The Prime Minister earlier asserted that the observations of the C&AG are disputable and they will be challenged before the Public Accounts Committee. As said by someone it was like issuing a whip to the Committee. How can the PM say that the observations of the C&AG would be challenged when the matter comes before the PAC? PAC is a Committee set up by the Parliament and its proceedings cannot be passed on to others. The Congress earlier tried to tarnish the image of the C&AG in the wake of the observations damning the UPA regime over wrongful allocation of coal blocks. One of the Congress General Secretaries has taken the debate to a new low by accusing the head of the C&AG of harbouring political ambitions thereby implying C&AG is not independent. They did the same thing even in 80s when the C&AG looked into Bofors contract and HDW Sub-marine deals. They questioned the locus standi and auditing methods. They even criticised the C&AG on 2G spectrum report also and declared that there was no loss. Now after the Coal Block allocation report by the C&AG the concerned Minister dismissed the C&AG findings as notional and imaginary. The Finance Minister said that the presumptive loss in the C&AG report was flawed saying that the Coal is not mined and it remained buried in the mother earth and questioned ‘where is the loss?’. The Congress’ Spokesperson, Mr. Tiwari, said that the C&AG has formulated its own policy. Now, it is clear that the Congress is not able to digest independent and autonomous C&AG and is going with the move to make the C&AG a multi-member body. Earlier in the matter of CVC appointment, they bungled and acted unilaterally to appoint someone who was under inquiry (ultimately the Supreme Court has struck down the appointment). They tried to weaken the Election Commission when they found the Chief Election Commission was not pliable to them by adding some more members and also appointing someone who was facing some charges. Supersession of judges, appointing their own favourites to the Election Commission or the CVC is nothing new to them; now this threat of active consideration of making the C&AG a multi-member body. This is a clear attempt to muzzle the present incumbent and thereby weakening the institution of C&AG. They have the track record of destroying the institutions from time to time. As opined by a political commentator, the Congress has forgotten that its stock crashed after it resorted to similar C&AG bashing in 1989. Now the same thing will be repeated as and when elections are held. Scams won’t vanish by painting C&AG black.
