Team Anna asks Pranab to come clean on rice scam allegations before contesting presidential election

LUCKNOW:

Team Anna on Wednesday reiterated its demand to probe graft charges it had levelled against 14 ministers, including finance minister Pranab Mukherjee by a special investigating team (SIT).

Addressing a gathering organized by India Against Corruption in Kanpur, Team Anna core group member Kiran Bedi said, "The government should constitute a SIT to probe the charges. Let them come out clean if they are not corrupt."

She also said, "We are poor not because we have committed a sin but because our leadership is corrupt and has been acting like 'Dhritarashtra'. The government does not have money to set up new schools and hospitals but at the same time scams of several crores of rupees keep on surfacing every now and then.

"This is happening only because we have decided to keep mum. It's time we should stand and support Anna Hazare who is fighting for the cause," she said.

This is for the second time when Kiran Bedi termed the government to be acting like 'Dhritarashtra'. Bedi, however, made it clear that her remarks was not against prime minister but against the office of the Prime Minister for overlooking the problems.

Team Anna is touring Uttar Pradesh as a part of its " Anna Sandesh Yatra" to make people aware about the corruption charges against ministers and to demand formation of SIT. The first round of the yatra ended on Wednesday. Kiran Bedi, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Shazia Ilmi and others members of Team Anna spoke on the occasion.

While addressing media persons in Lucknow, Vishwas said, "Mukherjee should face the probe and come clear with regard to rice scam before contesting presidential elections."

When Mukherjee rejected these allegations as "unfair, self-seeking and levelled with ulterior motive", Vishwas said, "The reply came for the letter which we wrote on May 27 to prime minister but he has not responded to the letter which we wrote two days back."
Talking about Anna Hazare endorsing Mukherjee as a better president contestant than other UPA ministers, he said, "Anna said that Pranab is a better minister compared to other minister but he added that APJ Abdul Kalam is the best for the post of president."

People from all walks of life and ages, including students and housewives, came to hear Team Anna members. The gathering kept waving the tricolour and raised slogans in support of Anna all through the meeting. Patriotic songs were played from loudspeakers.

The Team will be organizing similar yatras in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and other parts of the country.

The movement will enter its second phase from July 25 when some Team Anna members would sit on hunger strike in Delhi. The volunteers of the India Against Corruption have also been assigned the task to build a strong grassroots network of people, involving villagers, women and students to fight against corruption.