CAG report on KIIFB prepared with eye on Assembly polls, says Thomas Isaac

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) report rapped Kerala government over Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), Finance Minister Thomas Isaac alleged that the audit report was prepared with political interest eyeing the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. "In my opinion, there is the political influence behind preparing such an audit report eyeing upcoming Kerala assembly polls. But their intentions failed miserably after it was opposed strongly by us," said Kerala Finance Minister addressing a press conference here on Tuesday.

He further alleged, "In the BJP government's rule at the centre we have seen how one institution after the other is taken over for political interests and how they have degenerated. The C& AG report is a classic example of it." Hitting back at the CAG findings that KIIFB did not adhere to the constitutional provision and bypassed the limits set on Government borrowings under Article 293 of the Constitution of India, and regarding audit report findings on 'masala bond', Issac termed it all as "absolute nonsense".

"It is absolute nonsense. One thing is clear that many portions of the report was included without even consulting legal luminaries. If consulted, such foolishness would have never been incorporated in the report. KIIFB is a Body Corporate and Kerala government has passed laws in this regard," he said. Furthermore, Isaac said C&AG is not Supreme Court, and that the findings of C&AG report on KIIFB are one-sided.

"The practice followed is to seek clarification required from the state government before coming up with a final report. Here, many pages were inserted to the final report which was not in the draft report. This is clear violations of procedures," he added. The Finance Minister who is facing an enquiry by the Kerala Assembly Privilege and Ethics Committee for alleged leaking out of C&AG report before tabling it in the Assembly said that he is confident of discharging his duties.

"Let the CAG report come up before the committee, let them take a call," he said.