CAG refuses to join public debate on coal issue

The Comptroller and Auditor General on Tuesday declined to join a public debate on the controversies over its findings on the coal blocks allocation, which have come under attack from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Congress and critics.

"Being a Constitutional authority, the CAG (Vinod Rai) feels that it would be improper on his part to join a public debate on this issue. It is hereby stated that the organisation of the CAG would clarify on the report at the appropriate forum when required," an official statement from the CAG office said.

The statement said the CAG office has been getting repeated calls from the media for reactions to the news stories on the allocation of coal blocks and augmentation of coal production presented in Parliament on August 17 and subsequent clarifications in this regard.

On Monday in the Parliament, Dr Singh questioned the CAG findings on coal blocks allocation describing them as "disputable and flawed".

"The policy of allocation of coal blocks to private parties, which the CAG has criticised, was not a new policy introduced by the United Progressive Alliance.  The policy has existed since 1993 and previous government also allocated coal blocks in precisely the manner that the CAG has now criticised," he had said.

In a 32-point rebuttal of the CAG findings on the coal blocks allocations Singh said, "The observations of the CAG are clearly disputable."