CAG writing fiction, throwing up mystical numbers: Tewari

A day before CAG Vinod Rai demits office, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari Monday accused him of "fiction writing" on some figures of alleged corruption, saying that the country's top auditor had done the greatest disservice to the nation by tossing "mystical numbers".

Tewari, who delivered a keynote address after launch of an opinion poll conducted with samples across India at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) here, made clear his party's unhappiness about some figures in CAG reports.

The minister, who in the past has slammed CAG over his the figure of presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in 2G spectrum allocation, accused him of "fiction writing".

"When institutions start indulging in fiction writing, that is the greatest disservice that can possibly be done to the nation," Tewari said.

"I think the CAG in the past six years, with due respect to him, has done the greatest disservice to the nation by tossing mystical numbers to the open space," the minister said.

Later, talking to reporters, Tewari asked why Rs.1.76 lakh crore was not generated in the 2G spectrum auction and invited Rai to a public debate on the issue.

Referring to Rai's retirement, Tewari said the debate could be held at a time and place of Rai's choosing.

"Let's have a full fledged public debate on his 2G report and let the people judge for themselves," he said.

Rai had said in one of his interviews that while figures on amount of loss to exchequer in 2G spectrum allocation can be debated, the fact was that there had been loss.

He demits office May 22.