Naidu hits out at UPA over CAG remarks

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Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday dropped enough hints that the party is likely to move a privilege motion against the UPA government at the Centre for its ‘remarks’ against the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) who exposed the irregularities in the allotment of coal mines to private players.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Naidu said the party is seriously examining whether the criticism of the CAG by a few ministers would be considered breach of privilege. "The CAG is a constitutional body and criticising it is like questioning its authority. Parliament, not the public, is the forum to discuss the findings of the CAG. A responsible government should not have done this," he explained.

"We will not keep quiet. We will confront the UPA on the issue. The government should have said whatever it had to say on the CAG report on coal allocation, in Parliament, but not in public," Mr Naidu observed. Demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the BJP leader said: "Both the UPA government and Dr Singh have lost the moral authority to continue in office following the CAG's report. Dr Singh should resign and allow elections to happen," he demanded.

Referring to the Assam violence and the subsequent exodus of North-Eastern people from Bengaluru and other places, Mr Naidu said that it was a result of the 'vote bank politics' pursued by the PA government. ''The lack of timely action by the Assam government after the eruption of ethnic violence and the Maharashtra government failing to initiate action against those resorting to violence over the Assam developments, led to panic among N-E people resulting in their exodus,” he asserted.