THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has decided to express its strong dissent on the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) findings against the KIIFB. For this, the state will soon write to the CAG.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led opposition would approach the President and the governor alleging that finance minister T M Thomas Isaac committed serious lapse by disclosing the draft report of the CAG.
Isaac said the state would give an elaborate reply expressing its dissent to the CAG.
“The reply is being prepared by the finance department and it is in the final shape. The reply would be given to the CAG through the chief secretary,” said Isaac.
He said the findings of the CAG were absurd and the state government was not ready to accept it. The CAG had raised 76 queries during its audit and the reply was given to all.
“They were satisfied with that. But it was strange to know that after all this exercise they have suddenly raised the constitutional validity. Not even once the CAG had asked the state government whether the KIIFB has the constitutional validity to source funds from outside. KIIFB is a corporate body and as per the KIIFB Act it can avail loans. The CAG is intruding into the powers of the state government which we will not allow,” the minister said.
Isaac said KIIFB was formed under stringent laws and it has been functioning in the most transparent and fair manner. “Credibility is more important for a firm to source funds. That was the reason why the KIIFB could source funds,” he said.
However, the Congress-led opposition has decided to take up the issue with the President and governor. It has also been decided to approach the speaker for breach of privilege against the finance minister. The opposition is of the view that the CAG report should not be made public before tabling in the assembly.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the corruption involved in the KIIFB projects and the discrepancies in their fund utilization have been raised by the opposition in the assembly.
“Now, to cover up all these the finance minister is accusing the CAG,” he said.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said the attempt of the finance minister was to cover up the misappropriation of KIIFB funds.
“The state government is now engaged in attacking the central investigating agencies and a constitutional body like CAG since they are unearthing the corruptions involved in the government,” he said.