CAG report did not indict me, claims Sheila

Three weeks after being slammed by the CAG for alleged irregularities in certain CWG reports, the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday questioned the findings of the report and claimed that she was not indicted by the auditor.

Dikshit told the reporters after a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party that all that was alleged was not true and it was baseless.

Later a CLP meeting was called on so as to finalise the strategies for the monsson session of the Delhi Asembly beginning from Monday as BJP is set to corner the government on the CAG report.

Dikshit questioned about the real intention of the CAG report and claimed that CAG had even clarified that she was not indicted by the auditor.

She said that the CAG in the press conference on August 5 had denied that there was any indictment of the Chief Minister.

Dikshit added that all the party leaders were given a presentation so that they can better defend the government in the asembly session if BJP raises the CAG report.

 The sources said that the aim of the presentation was to make them understand the CAG report.

BJP has been demanding Dikshit's resignation following the CAG report and has accused the Congress for maintaining double standards and going on the overdrive so as to save her.

News Reported by AR for Newsvision

CAG report on CWG being unnecessarily politicised: Delhi Government

Lovely claims that every March CAG reports are out and evry time they find some fault in tender process and if one resigns for being named in the CAG report, governments have to change every March.  Reiterating his government's position with the to co-operate with Public Accounts Committee, he said if PAC wants to know anything, he will be more happy to do so and maintained that the CAG was an auditor while PAC was a Constitutional body to go into the report.

When the BJP government was asked to read the report propoerly and carefully before demanding resignations, the Minister said that the CAG has infact, acknowledged the infrastructure development and street lighting during the Common Wealth Games.

He said that in page 427 of the Cag report, the CAG has acknowledged the improvement in infrastructure that the Games have bought. He also praised the infrastructural development the Delhi Government has brought.

Following the tabling of the CAG report last week, the BJP government has been demanding the resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit, saying that the auditor has indicted her in the report. Earlier at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Shiela Dikshit, the ministers analysed the situation arising out of the CAG report and decided to give a strong reply to the allegations.

The government has already prepared the preliminary reply to the irregularities mentioned by the CAG report. Dikshit refused to comment about the uproar in Parliament over the opposition demand for her resignation this morning which had lead to its adjournment. She also added that on whatever is happening in Parliament, she will not comment on that. And when asked about the growing demand for her resignation, she claimed that let them demand.

News Reported by  AR    

Congress to face opposition heat over CAG report

The Congress is likely to face opposition heat in Parliament next week with the Comptroller and Auditor General pointing fingers at Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Prime Minister's office in its report on the irregularities in the Common Wealth Games, with the demands for Dikshit's resignation getting shriller. On Friday the leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that the content of the CAG report was a serious issue and in the coming days they will raise the same in the Parliament. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated about the seriousness of the issue and the need to raise it in the parliament and said that they are in the process of studying the same. He said that the United Progressive Alliance government was day by day losing its moral authority. He also added that there is a lack of confidence within the Government as it had lost the confidence of the people. Therefore, the government is at cross-roads. After the CAG report was tabled in the parliament on Friday, the BJP's spokesperson Prakash Javadekar sought Dikshit's resignation. According to Javadekar it is now the moral duty of Dikshit to resign and if not, then the Congress high command must ask her to step down immediately and they can elect their new Chief Minister. In the defence of Dikshit, the congress leaders came stating that there was no need for her to resign. According to Law Minister Salman Khurshid, the objections raised by CAG report would not lead automatically to kind of things that should require the people to step down.

It was clearly stated by Dikshit that, the government would completely cooperate when the report comes before the Parliament's Public Account Committee (PAC). The CAG report has come at a time when the Congress led Government which has been buffeted by a series of scams were gearing up to push its pending legislative agenda.

The intentions about gunning for Prime Minster Manmohan Singh were made clear by the BJP. The leaders said that, with the CAG report laying blame on the PMO for the appointment of Kalmadi as OC Chief will provide fresh ammunition to attack the Prime Minister. The Congress had told lies by putting the onus of Kalmadi's appointment as OC chief on BJP led NDA Government, according to Naqvi.

It was reported by the congress sources that, though her stock in the party is likely to be affected, the CAG indictment will not pose any immediate threat to Dikshit. They also added that Dikshit's rivals in the party could begin to clamour for her replacement if more controversies surround her government on the future.    

News report by SM