A day after Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee trashed Team Anna’s allegations of corruption against him, its key member Arvind Kejriwal said he should face an independent probe to prove his innocence.
“We are preparing a counter reply. If you are innocent, why are you shying away from an inquiry. Let there be a probe, let it prove that you are honest,” Mr. Kejriwal told reporters.
Mr. Mukherjee had in a letter addressed to Anna Hazare’s team on Monday rejected the accusations as “unfair” and “self-seeking” and said it reflected the lack of responsibility on behalf of those claiming to represent high standards of ethical behaviour.
Referring to the “political wrangling” over Presidential elections, Mr. Kejriwal said, “No political party wants a very good and honest President in the country, they all are engaged in trying to gather the magic numbers.”
“We (Prashant Bhushan, me and Kiran Bedi) are ready to face any such independent probe into any allegations levelled against us by anyone...If we are proved guilty, give us double the punishment.”
Asked if Team Anna would form a political party before the 2014 general elections, Mr. Kejriwal said, “Neither me nor any one of us will go for elections. No political front.”
Mr. Kejriwal said Mr. Ramdev would be invited to every agitation launched by Team Anna.
Another Team Anna member Gopal Rai said he, Mr. Kejriwal and Manish Sisodiya would begin a fast unto death at Jantar Mantar on July 25 on three major demands — SIT probe against tainted” ministers in UPA government, handing over pending CBI cases against Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad and Jayalalithaa to an independent agency and setting up of fast track courts to try MPs accused of corruption.
Team Anna members were earlier greeted with chants of “go back” by Congress supporters when they arrived at Rajbada to garland the statue of Ahilya Devi.
