Hang us if we are guilty, but pass Jan Lokpal Bill- Arvind Kejriwal

Mangalore Today / PTI

New Delhi, Oct 25: Senior Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal today challenged the government to take action against him, Kiran Bedi, Kumar Vishwas or Sanjay Singh if they were guilty, but it should pass the Jan Lokpal Bill at the earliest.

“Hang us if we are guilty, but please pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. Do not divert people’s attention from Jan Lokpal Bill to Kiran Bedi’s bills, or Kumar Vishwas’ leave”, said an exasperated Kejriwal as reporters tried to grill him on these issues.

 

 

Kejriwal had called the press conference to reveal that all the funds collected for India Against Corruption have been deposited in PCRF (Public Cause Research Foundation) for the last one year.

‘IAC is a movement, and PCRF is the institution behind the movement’, explained Kejriwal. PCRF has published its audited accounts as of March 31 this year, and after Anna Hazare called for transparency in accounts, we decided to publish the accounts half-yearly, he added.

The Team Anna member said, accounts of  PCRF upto September 30 this year is being audited and will be put on website by October 31.

Kejriwal alleged that the government had sent Income Tax officials from Jhandewalan to Kiran Bedi’s travel agency to collect all files relating to her travels and the same were passed on to Indian Express.

Similarly, he said, Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas’ leave details were leaked out to target him, while Sanjay Singh was targeted for securing a BPL ration card, while the fact is  he never had a ration card in his name, Kejriwal said.

The Core Committee, he said, was immaterial, said Kejriwal. The issue is the Jan Lokpal bill and the government is trying to divert attention towards the personal acts of Core Committee members.

Suppose, say I was booked by a traffic policeman, or I paid bribe to a doctor for my mother’s treatment or paid bribe for a railway berth, does that disqualify me from raising Suresh Kalmadi’s corruption, asked Kejriwal.

On being asked who were the members of Gang of Four as mentioned by Anna Hazare in his blog yesterday, Kejriwal quipped: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Kejriwal said, neither he nor his associates would ever react to Digvijay Singh’s remarks. “Even yesterday we got a call from I-T office and our chartered accountant was summoned to Jhandewalan office to check our accounts”, he revealed.

The government, Kejriwal said, is indulging in character assassination on a daily basis, and yet it is alleging that Team Anna is trying to spoil the atmosphere.

Asked by an intrepid reporter about the lesson he learnt from these episodes, Kejriwal almost lost his cool.

“What lesson should we learn from Kiran Bedi’s bills, or from Kumar Vishwas’ leave. What nonsense is this? For God’s sake, pl do not make a media trial out of all this. Kiran Bedi’s bills can’t be decided at a press conference.”

Asked when Anna Hazare would break his vow of silence, Kejriwal replied; “That Annaji will disclose himself.”