West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s inherent dislike for accountability is not hidden from anyone. In the past, she refused to hold her party cadre (read goons) accountable for the violence they carried out during Bengal Panchayat elections. Her aversion to accountability is again on its full display. West Bengal CM has said no to audit of state accounts by Comptroller and Auditor General of India. CAG, as a constitutional body, has the duty to audit all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India as well as of the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government. It is done in order to ensure that there is no misuse of the funds and also to ensure that mismanagement and corruption can be exposed and hence minimized.
CAG accountant, Namita Prasad, in a letter written to the State Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya, informed that CAG wants to audit West Bengal’s ‘Public Order’. The audit will be carried out by taking into account details of law and order, crime control, arms licenses in the state, infrastructure related to law and order etc. CAG has to look into how much money the state government has taken for it, how much money has been allocated, how much money has been spent and where it has been spent. The state government said a complete No to such an audit.
Later on, CAG told the state department that the West Bengal government is not outside the scope of the constitution. CAG also said that it is carrying out audit related to Public Order in Rajasthan, Kerala, Assam and Manipur. CAG made it very clear that West Bengal shares an international border of 2.5 thousand kilometres. In such a situation it becomes extremely important to look in what ways the law and order system is being followed in the state. The issue is related to the security of the entire country.
However, a senior official of the Home Department of the state said that the CAG will not be allowed to enter in any condition in the law department of the state. He said that the matters related to law and order are secret and sensitive and they cannot be shared with CAG anyhow. On this, the CAG replied that it conducts audits of the cases related to the sale and purchase of nuclear program equipment and army equipment. So is the law department of Bengal is higher than that? The CAG has made it clear that if the state government does not cooperate with it under the constitution, then legal steps will be taken against it.
Now, the moot question is why Mamata government is defying a constitutional body? What Mamata Banerjee is trying to hide? CAG is very respected and reputed constitutional body. Its audits and often expose cases of organized loot and corruption (Coal Scam, 2G etc). Is there any big case of organized loot or a big corruption scandal waiting to be exposed if the state’s accounts are thoroughly audited by the CAG and that is what PM aspirant Mamata Banerjee is trying to prevent?
Mamata Banerjee has earlier also challenged the federal structure of the country. Infamously, she had even brazenly questioned and protested against Indian Army’s routine exercise in West Bengal a few years back.