Friday, May 6 2005 20:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Maintaining that the Comptroller and Auditor General had erred in its report on National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government's 'India Shining' campaign, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (May 6, 2005) said that it was open to a "public inquiry" by any agency into its findings on both the sale of Centaur Hotels and the media blitz.

"As former Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie had said yesterday (May 5, 2005), let there be any inquiry and it be made public", Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh said in New Delhi, when asked about the CAG report on the sale of two Centaur Hotels.

He said that the CAG's job was to "audit accounts" and "it cannot judge on systems".

"We are perfectly ready for it to be fully examined", the former Finance Minister said.

Asked about the CAG report that the NDA Government diverted funds and incurred unauthorised expenditure of Rs 63.23 crore for the 'India Shining' media campaign, he said, "The CAG is in error. It was taken from the Rs 100 crore sanctioned and permitted by the Parliament."

Singh said that the BJP was ready for an inquiry into it "openly and publicly, by any agency".