Defence Minister George Fernandes on Saturday ruled out giving the Central Vigilance Commission report on defence deals to the Public Accounts Committee.

"The report has been labelled as top secret by Central Vigilance Commission and we cannot part with it," he said in New Delhi.

He accused the opposition of politicising the issue of purchase of coffins during the Kargil conflict.

Asked why the PAC had declined to give a report on the arms deals following the Comptroller and Auditor General findings, the minister refused to say anything.

The issue had rocked Parliament on Thursday and Friday with the opposition charging the government with attempting to stall the functioning of the PAC.

"We have not hidden anything. They want the CVC report. But as far the CVC report is concerned, CVC has written that it is secret. There is nothing more to it," he said.

The minister said as far as the PAC report was concerned, his ministry had forwarded all relevant document. "There is no question of hiding anything…" he added.

Fernandes said he was not involved in the purchase of the coffins, which had been cleared at the level of defence secretary.

He, however, made it clear that the CVC had not gone into the coffin deal.

Fernandes said he had learnt about the transaction only when the matter was raised in Parliament after the CAG report on Kargil purchases was submitted.

Commenting on the August 1999 purchase of 500 caskets for $2,500 apiece, Fernandes said there had been no loss really to exchequer.

"We paid for them and we have them," he said rubbishing claims that the caskets could have been brought at much lower prices.

"The military sources in the United States have confirmed that the cost of each casket is $2,768," Fernandes said.

The minister said the army subsequently rejected the entire lot of caskets because they were overweight and welded rather than dye-pressed.

He said the army had dumped them in godowns and was using wooden caskets to bring back the bodies of soldiers killed in counterinsurgency and other operations.

"I would like the armed forces to bring these specialised caskets out of the godowns and use them," Fernandes said.

"The armed forces are using wooden caskets, which often leak, to bring back bodies of brave soldiers. The imported caskets are shakeproof and anti-erosion. Nothing stands in the way of their being used."

He said he was pained that there were some people who were exploiting the issue for political gains.

"For over two years now, a motivated and sustained campaign has been going on against me on the issue by certain political parties," Fernandes said adding his efforts to put across the truth 'do not seem to have made any impact on them'.