The anti corruption movement led by Anna Hazare continued to reel under accusations and allegations with the funds collected during the campaign now in the eye of the storm.
The members of the movement on Sunday dismissed allegations made by Swami Agnivesh that donations for Anna Hazare's agitation were siphoned off by Arvind Kejriwal, saying he might be levelling such accusations out of anger.
They said all details regarding their accounts will be put on the website of Public Cause Research Foundation , which acted as the secretariat for Hazare's agitation, by this month-end.
Seeking to downplay allegations levelled against Agnivesh, Team Anna member and Kejriwal's close associate Manish Sisodia said, "Our accounts are already on the website. We have conducted a special audit for the last six months and by the month end we are putting the details on the website."
On Agnivesh, he said, "We have no animosity with Swami Agnivesh. He could have said something out of anger. It's not in our custom to rebut anything that an elderly person says. He is a good man and we all respect him."
Agnivesh said on Sunday that funds donated by the public to Anna Hazare was deposited in the trust run by Arvind Kejriwal from which the names of major team members including Anna Hazare and Santosh Hegde were missing. He had on Saturday alleged that Kejriwal has siphoned off over Rs 80 lakh donated by people for Anna Hazare's agitation by diverting it to a trust run by him.
Anna Hazare does not have his name in the Public Cause Research Foundation run by Kejriwal.
Even Justice Santosh Hegde, who has a clean image does not have his name in the trust. So, the main members of the team were not part of the Trust and the old trust where Kejriwal and his members were part...The money was deposited in their name," he alleged on Sunday.
Agnivesh said Anna was keen to have a new trust and include new members.
He said Hazare himself had asked Kejriwal to put on the website the details of donations received by them in the core committee meeting. Hazare had announced that he had asked his associates to conduct a mini-audit and put the statement on website. Anna wanted to complete the deposits and calculations by October 15 and upload the information on the website, Agnivesh said.
Maintaining that his protest in only for transparency, he said, "I have said this (to give details of accounts) because if they will do it as soon as possible, there won't be any doubt and question. If they will delay, people would question why the accounts are not given", Agnivesh said.
Manish Sisodia on Sunday said that the trust had invited all members at the core committee meeting held in Ralegan Siddhi to be trustee of the PCRF.He said they had announced in the Ramlila Maidan that the donations were being collected in name of PCRF.
He also dismissed as "baseless" allegations that Hazare was upset with the team members. Sisodia said Anna was aware that donations were coming to the foundation and nothing was hidden from him.
Kiran Bedi a member of the anti corruption movement led by Hazare continued to defend herself against the charges of mis representation of facts in claiming reimbursements for travel.
"Hang some of us if that helps", activist Kiran Bedi said on Sunday as she alleged a "pattern to defame" the group.
Rs Rs If my saving for poor by means I followed is wrong may I be punished. Let the Lokpal punish me, she said adding that nothing should allow distraction from the main motive of getting the Lok Pal Bill passed in the winter session of Parliament.
Anna’s Pak fans upset:
Meanwhile Anna Hazare who had found popularity in Pakistan for his anti corruption movement, has now created enemies there by his remarks in his blog that he was ready to be part of any war against Pakistan even on Sunday just as he fought against that country as a jawan in the past.
The blog entry made this month has evoked shock among Pakistanis in the virtual world, according to a PRI report .
His blog entry said: "Even on Sunday you can see the marks on my forehead left behind by Pakistan's bullet. This is my active conviction that Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so. On Sunday once again if I have to, I am ready to take part in war against Pakistan. But some people can only speak and don't do anything on ground (in reality for Kashmir) and this is unfortunate," Pakistani net surfers have written in response that they were disappointed and shocked by Anna Hazare’s anti Pakistan stance.
"Not long ago, international media saw the rise of a new star; a man who vowed to reincarnate the principles of Gandhi...We hoped his anti-graft movement would come to Pakistan as well. Moreover, we prayed that the Pak-India border would be adorned with flowers and candles rather than barbed wires...However, on Sunday all of my hopes suddenly evaporated when I read Anna Hazare's blog," wrote Omair Tariq. What hurt most Pakistanis was the statement that Hazare was willing to take part in a war against Pakistan. "I don't understand how people can name him as a second Gandhi when Hazare talks about war, something Gandhi was fiercely opposed to.’’
In response to Tariq's post, Indians and Pakistanis jumped to def.
