New Delhi: A meeting of the Congress core group took place at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence in New Delhi this morning. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, and party spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi attended the meeting. The leaders reportedly discussed on all current issues, including the CAG report that sharply indicts the Prime Minister's Office. The Congress president is in US. She underwent a surgery yesterday and is expected to be back in India in two-three weeks. In her absence, her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Mr Dwivedi, Mr Patel and Mr Antony have been given the responsibility of handling party affairs.

Lucknow:  A Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday has slammed Chief Minister Mayawati for wasting more than 66 crore rupees in building her pet projects - the BR Ambedkar and the Kanshi Ram memorial in Lucknow. The government's auditor has said this expenditure was "avoidable."

The report also says sand stone used in these memorials was mined elsewhere and then transported 1100 kilometres to Lucknow, causing a loss of 15 crore rupees. Similarly, the report adds, over 22 lakh rupees were wasted in revising contracts for purchase of various stones.

The CAG, however, said it could not estimate the losses in installing statues which are worth 287.56 crore rupees.

Opposition parties including Congress, BJP and Samajwadi Party have alleged that Central funds were misused by the BSP chief's government for construction of parks and statues dedicated to her mentor and Dalit leader Kanshiram and Dr B R Ambedkar.