Former CAG auditor draws flak from Opposition members in JPC

NEW DELHI: Former CAG lead auditor R P Singh, who had questioned the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in 2G spectrum allocation, today came under fire in the JPC with opposition members contesting his claim.

Appearing before the JPC, Singh, the then Director General, Audit (Post and Telecommunication) said "presumptive loss was not part of the accounting code which is accepted internationally."

He deposed before the Parliamentary panel for the second time today, the first being on November 14, 2011.

He was then asked to appear again before JPC following demands by BJP members who had claimed that he hid facts and made contradictory statements to the media later.

When Yashwant Sinha (BJP) and Gurudas Gupta (CPI) asked how he could deny his role in the preparation of the report when it was he who had issued norms and guidelines to the field staff, Singh read out a circular which stated that he was to provide the inputs to the head office which would prepare the report after collating the data.

Singh also said that he had deleted the paragraph on presumptive loss from the draft report as it was "not logical", but the head office later included it in the final report, JPC sources said.

The former CAG official told the JPC that he was made to sign the report one evening and asked to send it to the Telecom Ministry and the Finance Ministry the next day by 10 am.

When Sinha questioned as to why did he not refuse to sign the report, Singh said that he had little option but to comply with the orders of his superiors, the sources quoted him as saying.

At one point of time Sinha is learnt to have lost his temper and termed Singh as "not dependable" at which JPC chief P C Chacko intervened to clam the agitated member.