Union Minister for Indian Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi on Sunday launched a tirade against Team Anna alleging that a conspiracy was being hatched to destabilise Indian politics.
Talking to journalists at the State Congress party headquarters here, he said Anna Hazare and his team were levelling all kinds of ‘unsubstantiated wild allegations' against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Asked who the conspirators were, he said they were those who did not want India to progress. “There are interested persons behind this conspiracy.”
Mr. Ravi is on a visit to the State to monitor the party's preparedness for by-elections to 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat on June 12.
Stating that Team Anna itself was not that ‘innocent,' he said its key members – Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal — had got the Ramon Magsaysay award, funded by American trusts.
He said there were allegations against Ms. Bedi on her son's admission, while Mr. Kejriwal was directed to clear income-tax dues to the tune of Rs. 9.80 lakh. “None of them can claim that they are honest,” he said.
‘PM, respected man'
Defending Dr. Singh, he said the Prime Minister was a respected person not only in India but all over the World. Referring to the remarks made by his Cabinet colleague V. Narayansamy that Team Anna had collected huge amounts, he : “I respect what he said.”
