How can CAG Rajiv Mehrishi initiate a probe against himself in Rafale deal: Kapil Sibal
New Delhi, Feb 10: Alleging conflict of interest, the Congress on Sunday requested Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi to recuse himself from auditing the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter aircraft as he, as the then finance secretary, was part of the negotiations.
The opposition party also said that it would be improper on the part of Mehrishi to present the report in Parliament and said that it had written to him to recuse himself.
The CAG report on the controversial deal is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Monday
In a communique to the former bureaucrat, the Congress has alleged that the government compromised "national interest" and "national security" in the purchase of the 36 aircraft and said the CAG has a constitutional and statutory duty to undertake a forensic audit of all defence contracts, including the Rafale deal.
"It is an act of gross impropriety for you to deal with the audit of the 36 Rafale aircraft deal on account of patent conflict of interest...You are constitutionally, legally and morally disentitled to either conduct an audit or to present a report before...Parliament. We urge upon you to recuse yourself and publicly accept the gross impropriety committed by you in initiating the audit...," it said.
In its communique, the Congress has alleged that the irregularities, bungling and corruption was happening at the highest level with "your direct or indirect complicity and consent".
"This reflects your direct collaboration in the entire matter. That being so, there is no reason or occasion for you to audit the 36 Rafale aircraft deal as you can neither be a judge in your own cause nor can sit in audit over your own actions to which you were a party. We are deeply shocked by the fact that despite knowing these facts, you chose to neither recuse yourself as CAG from auditing the 36 Rafale aircraft deal...," it sad.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal reiterated that Mehrishi is likely to present the report on the Rafale deal in Parliament on Monday.
Sibal said that Mehrishi was the finance secretary from October 24, 2014 to August 30, 2015 and in between Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Paris on April 10, 2015 and announced the signing of the Rafale deal.
"...Finance Ministry plays an important role in these negotiations...Now it is clear that the Rafale deal happened under Rajiv Mehrishi. Now he is CAG. We met him twice on September 19 and October 4, 2018. We told him about the scam. We told him that the deal should be probed because it is corrupt. But how can he initiate a probe against himself," Sibal said.
The Congress said it had, in its submissions to the CAG, listed the acts of omission and commission as well as corruption in the Rafale deal.
"He obviously cannot probe decisions he took as finance secretary. He will protect himself first and then his government. There cannot be a bigger conflict of interest than this," he said.
Sibal further said that he was trying to tell the people of India that the government was misleading them and how this government was being protected.
Lashing out at Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sibal said that she was protecting the prime minister rather than protecting the country.
"In this country, the defence minister who is responsible for protecting the country is defending the PM only. They are saying that what happened, everything was correct, everyone else is a liar, flogging a dead horse. Then on the other hand the expose of what happened is there," he said.
He further questioned why the prime minister was not answering basic questions on the deal regarding why parallel negotiations were undertaken when the defence ministry had written that such "interventions" cannot happen.
Asked what steps would the Congress take if Mehrishi presents the CAG report on the deal in Parliament, Sibal evaded a direct reply and said that the exposes on the issue will not stop here.
"What action can we take? The exposes are not going to stop here. The truth will come out definitely. We are ordinary people, we cannot accuse someone without facts like the PM who levels allegations against us everyday without any facts. We are not like that. We accuse someone only when we have some proof," he said.
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'He is in a happy place now': Harish Rana's last rites conducted, family to donate his organs
Ghaziabad (UP) (PTI): Don't cry, he is in a happy place now, the parents of Harish Rana, the first person in India to be permitted passive euthanasia, said on Wednesday as they bid farewell to their son one last time.
Harish's last rites were conducted at the Green Park cremation ground in South Delhi on Wednesday morning, marking a quiet end to his 13-year ordeal.
In a final act of generosity, Harish's family consented to donate five of his organs.
The 31-year-old man passed away on Tuesday after slipping into a coma in 2013, following a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a B.Tech student at Panjab University.
During the last rites, Harish's mother bid an emotional farewell to her son with folded hands and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbour told PTI over the phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as deeply emotional. Tejas Chaturvedi, a resident of the Raj Empire Society, noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to console others and encouraged them to remain strong in their moment of grief.
"Let no one weep. I am praying that my son may depart in peace. Wherever he is born next, may he receive God's blessings," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai, who visited the cremation ground to pay his respects, told PTI that the family had confirmed donation of five of Harish's organs. "Harish might be gone, but he will continue to live on through the beneficiaries of his organ donation. The family has set an example before the entire nation," Rai told PTI over the phone.
Family members, along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement led by women, attended the cremation to offer their prayers for Harish. Residents from the Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where the Rana family lives, also came to show their support, joining a diverse group of NGOs, AIIMS staff, relatives, and friends.
Harish's body was transported to the cremation ground in an ambulance, and the platform was covered in rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with folded hands, and some placed saffron garlands on the body before it was laid upon the pyre. Ashish Rana, Harish's younger brother, lit the pyre, accompanied by his sister, Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who has been associated with the family and travelled to the cremation ground, said that meditative chants were performed during the last rites. "The body is leaving the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and has begun a new journey," she said.
"The family decided to donate Harish's eyes," Sister Lovely told PTI.
Additionally, Sister Lovely shared that a 'bhog' (offering) and prayer ritual will be held by the Brahma Kumaris in the coming days, where food items that Harish enjoyed will be prepared. "Harish could not eat for over a decade. Now the soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will offer the food that his body loved," she said.
Earlier, neighbours and well-wishers spoke of the family's unwavering commitment to caring for Harish despite the emotional and financial challenges they faced over the years. His parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, described the decision to allow passive euthanasia as "extremely painful but necessary."
According to sources, the family is scheduled to return to their Ghaziabad residence after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Harish was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi earlier this month from his Ghaziabad home following a landmark Supreme Court order permitting the withdrawal of life support for him. He passed away on Tuesday.
The apex court had clarified that passive euthanasia in his case would involve withdrawal of artificial nutrition, such as the feeding tube, while continuing palliative care to allow a natural death with dignity. Medical boards had concluded that his condition was irreversible.
