New Delhi : Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai has apologised to Sanjay Nirupam in response to a defamation case the Congress leader filed against him for claiming the latter was among those who pressured him to keep then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name out of the state auditor’s report on 2G spectrum allocation.
Rai tendered the apology in an affidavit submitted to Metropolitan Magistrate Manu Shree in which he stated that the comments he had made against Nirupam are “factually incorrect.” The court has now disposed of the case following the apology.
“I have realised that, in answer to questions posed to me by the interviewers, I had inadvertently and wrongly mentioned the name of Shri Sanjay Nirupam as one of the MPs who pressurised me to keep the then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s name out of the CAG report on 2-G spectrum allocation during the meetings in the PAC or the sidelines of the JPC etc,” Rai’s affidavit read.
Rai submitted, “I understand the pain and agony my statements have caused to Sanjay Nirupam, his family and well wishers and thus would like to offer my unconditional apology for the hurt caused by such statements.”
Rai had in an interview to Times Now, which was subsequently published in two newspapers, accused the former PM of failing to prevent the controversial 2G spectrum licence allocation despite some of the ministers expressing concern about the process and despite having been informed by the then telecom minister A Raja about what he planned to do.
Rai submitted, “I understand the pain and agony my statements have caused to Sanjay Nirupam, his family and well wishers and thus would like to offer my unconditional apology for the hurt caused by such statements.”
Rai had in an interview to Times Now, which was subsequently published in two newspapers, accused the former PM of failing to prevent the controversial 2G spectrum licence allocation despite some of the ministers expressing concern about the process and despite having been informed by the then telecom minister A Raja about what he planned to do.
Sanjay Nirupam tweeted after the apology from Rai: “Finally former CAG Vinod Rai tendered an unconditional apology to me in a defamation case filed by me…He must apologize to the nation now for all his forged reports about 2G and Coal block allocations done by the UPA Govt.”
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