Congress slams Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for remarks on CAG

New Delhi, Oct 30: Congress slammed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his remarks that CAG should not sensationalise its report, saying it amounts to threatening the government auditor and wondered if the ruling dispensation feels it could be targeted on its reports like the UPA was.

Ajay Maken, general secretary and in-charge of media communication, questioned why Jaitley did not say the same when his party, BJP, stalled Parliament over reports on 2G spectrum and coal block allocations during UPA rule.

Accusing the government of "misleading and hoodwinking" the country, Maken said Congress "strongly condemns" the statement of Jaitley in which he said the CAG should not sensationalise its report.

Speaking to reporters, he wondered why Jaitley, a senior BJP leader, forgot to say the same when CAG reports "used to be leaked even before being placed before Parliament, and "when the Finance Minister's party, based on those reports, used to disrupt the parliament for days."

Condemning "this kind of threat" to the CAG, he questioned why Jaitley had not made similar observations when the CAG was holding press conferences and giving power point presentations on its reports during the UPA tenure.

Maken questioned, "Why this sudden change of heart and u-turn? Is it because of the CAG report on Gujarat which talks about irregularities worth Rs 25,000 crore in land affairs when (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi was the CM?...Now do Arun Jaitley and Modi feel that opposition would use against them CAG reports, based on which they had stalled Parliament for long?"

Another Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh also criticised Jaitley. "CAG should not sensationalize its findings,"- Arun Jaitley. Wish he had realised this when 2G and Coal Block CAG Report came!", he tweeted.

PTI