UPA UNLEASHED CBI TO ‘BREAK' ME: VINOD RAI
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Thursday, 18 September 2014 | J Gopikrishnan | New Delhi
In a shocking revelation, former CAG Vinod Rai has disclosed that the UPA Government tried to “break” him by using the CBI to drag him into a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) registered in November 2011 against then IFCI CEO and MD Atul Rai, for committing some alleged irregularities.
In the PE, the CBI accused Vinod Rai of helping Atul Rai by recommending his name for the post and expeditiously relieving him from the Finance Ministry. Vinod Rai was then Finance Secretary. The former CAG accused a “powerful person” of being behind the misdeed.
Talking to The Pioneer on Wednesday, Rai said that after certain Congress MPs tried to bully him in the PAC meeting on the 2G scam in October 2011, some powerful elements in the UPA Government tried to “break” him through the CBI. Rai said this dirty trick was done by a person powerful enough to influence the CBI Director.
“I was extremely surprised when I got an e-mail from a journalist on November 30, 2011 asking me for a response on the CBI’s move to launch a Preliminary Enquiry against me. I called then CBI Director Amar Pratap Singh. He said no such thing was proposed against me, but there was a probe against my former colleague Atul Rai. He sent an officer providing the details of the case,” said Rai.
The report provided by the CBI officer to Rai showed that a PE was registered against Atul Rai, CEO and MD of IFCI and unknown officials of the Ministry of Finance. The allegations related to some investment decisions of IFCI. Atul Rai worked under Vinod Rai in the Finance Ministry before he took command of IFCI.
According to the PE, in February 2007 Vinod Rai apparently helped Atul Rai to be expeditiously relieved from the Ministry to become the CEO and MD of IFCI. “In many places in the CBI report, my name was mentioned in a bid to put pressure on me and create suspicion,” said Rai.
"The CBI's PE gives an impression that Rai is my very close relative. Let me state, I am not even a distant relative of Atul," said the former CAG.
According to Rai, he decided to take on then CBI Director AP Singh and told him that he would go to the media if the CBI dared to sully his name. "I asked him, how can you do such things against a Constitutional authority? I told him, if I am challenged, I will go to the media and expose you," said Rai.
Rai said the PE was still not closed. "Why is the CBI not closing this PE? It is simmering somewhere. Can you treat officials like this? I am a constitutional authority. Can the CBI do such things? Are they empowered to put my name in their information reports?" Rai asked.
When asked about the people behind this move, Rai said: "I don't want to name or identify the person or persons behind this move. Obviously, they were pursuing a vendetta against me for the report on the 2G scam. It must be a person powerful enough to influence the CBI Director."
"They decided to hit me personally after the 2G scam was exposed. It was done to hurt my credibility and break me to make me weak," said Rai.
In his book 'Not Just an Accountant' Rai has devoted an entire chapter to this CBI "atrocity."
Rai has even reproduced the CBI's PE and Information Report in the book. "A reliable information has revealed that Atul Kumar Rai (IES 1985) had worked under Vinod Rai in the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance from November 2002 to May 31, 2007 …. The application of Atul Rai was examined at various levels and forwarded to the Secretary, Financial Services, Banking, Vinod Rai, who apparently helped Atul Rai getting relived as soon as possible…..," said the CBI's PE Report reproduced in the book by Rai.
(Rai's full interview will be published in The Pioneer's Sunday Magazine Agenda)
http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/upa-unleashed--cbi-to-break-me-vinod-rai.html