Slamming Opposition parties for "premature" criticism of his ministry over findings in a draft CAG report, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy today attacked BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi for dragging Home Minister P Chidambaram in alleged favours to Reliance Industries (RIL).
Addressing a press conference, he said his ministry will give "appropriate response" to CAG on issue of alleged favours doled out to private firms like Reliance and Cairn, and will accept with "open mind" any critical comment if it is made in the final report of the nation's top auditor.
Refuting Joshi's allegations that Chidambaram, who was the Finance Minister when price of gas produced from RIL's KG-D6 fields was fixed in 2007, Reddy said the BJP leader who is also the chairman of PAC, is settling "personal agenda".
"Chidambaram was the member of an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) which fixed the gas price. It was not an individual decision. It was not Chidambaram alone," he said.
"If decisions taken by EGoM is to be critised personally, then there is no shelter for ministers... If this is the way criticism is mounted, it will be difficult to take decisions. Everybody will pass the buck," he said.
Stating the CAG report was only at a draft stage, Reddy said Joshi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury were jumping the gun in their criticism.
"It is a draft report. Joshi as PAC chairman is compromising his own position. It is not very edifying for a senior member like Joshi. The octogenarian politician is hunting for headlines. He should leave the job to younger people in the party and not indulge in this," Reddy said.
Joshi had on Friday attacked the government for alleged favours to RIL and singled out Chidambaram for the critisism, demanding his removal from the Cabinet.
"I know BJP has newfound fondness for the Home Minister but at this rate it will lose its credibility," he said.
Dismissing criticism by Joshi and Yechuri as baseless, Reddy said his ministry will respond to draft report of CAG with an "open mind" in eight weeks time.
"By making this criticism, they are prejudicing the process of objective examination by CAG," he said.
CAG after incorporating ministry's comment will table the final report in Parliament after which it will go to PAC. "Why should such a senior member of Parliament be in such a haste."
Reddy said while the draft CAG report does not make any reference to the $4.20 per mmBtu price fixed for Reliance's KG-D6 gas, Joshi has brought in "extrenous matter and singled out Chidambaram (for the decision due to) personal agenda."
Rejecting any role in leakage of the draft report of CAG, Reddy challenged Joshi to move privilege notice if he felt the leakage of the report had in any way violated his rights.
CAG in its June 8 draft report stated that the oil ministry and its technical arm DGH favoured private firms like Reliance and Cairn India by allowing them to retain entire exploration acreage, turning a blind eye to increase in capital expenditure and giving additional area in violation of Production Sharing Contract (PSC).
Refusing to be drawn into points raised by CAG, Reddy said, "I am confident CAG will look at our reply with an open mind. If in the final report they come out with criticism on some issues, we will also look at them with open mind."
Any observation or recommendation in the final report which is accepted by the government, "will be acted upon and if [there are some which are] not agreed upon, we will not act on them," he said.
"I am not saying that CAG observations are baseless. If [there is] some substance, we should be concerned," he said, while asking everyone to exercise restraint till the final report is out.
