Activist Swami Agnivesh, a prominent associate of Anna Hazare, on Friday accused certain members of Team Anna of “conspiring” against him and said this led him to part ways with his colleagues.
“Why did they circulate the CD (in which he is purportedly telling a Union Minister that the government needed to act tough with Mr. Hazare) on Sunday (August 28) when they had it three days in advance. The timing was interesting. They released it just after the fast ended,” Swami Agnivesh told PTI.
Asked who all were behind it, he shot back “my colleagues conspired against me. I supported them but they betrayed me...those associated with the movement, who else?”
Terming the circulation of the controversial video as “deliberate”, he alleged the “vicious” campaign was intended to “destroy” his credibility.
He said Team Anna did not even think it important to talk to him and find out about the controversial CD where he is purportedly telling a Union Minister that government needs to act tough with the fasting Gandhian.
Swami Agnivesh had earlier claimed the video footage was “doctored and concocted” and part of a “smear” campaign against him and denied he was talking to Union Minister Kapil Sibal.
Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of Team Anna, did not respond to a request for a reaction to Swami Agnivesh’s comments.
Maintaining that he has not done anything wrong and “if someone shows me where I have gone wrong, I will apologise to Anna”, Swami Agnivesh said, adding, “I have great respect for him.”
