Cancel transfer orders of CAG officers who exposed scams: Congress

Tribune News Service

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, October 11

Accusing the Modi government of getting three officers of the CAG's office transferred for exposing "corruption" in major government schemes, Congress party today demanded immediate cancellation of the transfer orders.

"The Modi government operates mafia style under a cloak of silence and intimidation. If anyone exposes its modus operandi of corruption, they are threatened or removed", Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Rsmesh said the latest victims are three officers of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), who exposed "scams" in government schemes in a report tabled during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Ramesh said the CAG report showed scams across infrastructure and social schemes. It documented 1400% cost inflation and tendering irregularities in the Dwarka Expressway, in addition to a diversion of Rs. 3,600 crore from highways projects, faulty bidding practices, and 60% cost inflation of Bharatmala scheme.

An audit of the Ayushman Bharat scheme showed lakhs of claims made to dead patients and at least 7.5 lakh beneficiaries linked to a single mobile number, Ramesh said.

Citing media reports, Ramesh said three CAG officers in charge of reporting on the Ayushman Bharat and Dwarka Expressway "scams" have been transferred to "hide the blatant corruption" in the Modi Government. Rsmesh said this is despite the fact that the CAG is supposed to be an independent body.

"We demand that these transfer orders should be cancelled immediately, the officers return to the CAG and action must be taken on these mega scams relating to Dwarka Expressway, Bharatmala and Ayushman Bharat", the Congress leader demanded.

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