New Delhi, Nov. 11: PTI this morning quoted minister V. Narayanasamy as saying the Centre was considering making the CAG a multiple-member body, triggering a row with the minister claiming he was “misquoted” and the news agency saying it had taped the interview and stood by its report.

“PTI stands by its report quoting minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, V. Narayanasamy, as having said that converting the comptroller and auditor general into a multi-member body was under consideration of the government, notwithstanding his subsequent denial,” an evening PTI report, filed at 5.20, said.

“In the course of an interview with PTI, Narayanasamy was asked about the recommendation made by former CAG V.K. Shunglu that the CAG should be made (a) multi-member body. He replied, ‘It is under active consideration. The government is actively considering it’.”

After PTI released the interview at 10.52am, the minister told TV channels he had merely told the agency reporter that six Shunglu panel reports were under government consideration.

“He (the PTI reporter) did not specifically ask me about (the) CAG. I did not specifically reply to him about (the) CAG (but) he misquoted me saying that the government is considering making (the) CAG a multi-member body. I did not say that,” PTI’s evening report quoted Narayanasamy as telling the channels.

The news agency released purported excerpts from the interview, which it claimed to have taped. (See chart)

According to PTI, Narayanasamy said during the interview that the CAG had become “more impatient” and that he wanted all constitutional bodies to work within their parameters.

The Shunglu Committee, set up to look into alleged irregularities in the Commonwealth Games projects, had submitted six reports on the projects along with a letter to the PMO recommending the CAG be made a three-member body for “greater transparency”.

Reacting to Narayanasamy’s purported comments in the interview, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy accused the Centre of trying to “muzzle” incumbent CAG Vinod Rai and weaken the institution.