Team Anna not that innocent: Vayalar Ravi

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After V. Narayanasamy another Union minister Vayalar Ravi attacked Team Anna, saying the anti-corruption group is 'not that innocent' and alleged its activists could be acting in a 'conspiracy' to destabilise Indian politics.

“The group of Anna Hazare, the so-called crusader against corruption, are making all kinds of wild statements against the Prime Minister which they could not substantiate, which they could not do anything. We suspect and I suspect that Anna and his people are not that innocent and every one of them go to the Magsaysay award which has been funded by the American foundations,” Ravi said.

Referring to certain allegations against Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Ravi claimed that none of them can claim to be honest.

Vayalar Ravi also asked what were the contributions by Mr Anna Hazare, Ms Bedi and Kejriwal for getting the Ramon Magsaysay award.

“How the three persons — Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and this Kejriwal —all three got this award. What is their contribution? What is their contribution to get a prestigious international award or the Magsaysay award, what is the purpose? So, it all kind of a, I suspect there is a conspiracy to destabilise Indian politics,” he said.

Minister of state (PMO) V. Narayanaswamy on Saturday alleged that Hazare was surrounded by 'anti-national elements' and supported by 'foreign forces'.

Later in the day, Bedi in her tweets quoted from C. Rajagopalachari’s Mahabharata in which Dhritarashtra is saying “I did not follow the wise path of dharma and statesmanship but suffered myself to be misled by my foolish son. And as you say, we are fast hastening towards the abyss.”

Reacting to Bedi’s tweets, Union law minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday attacked the Team Anna accusing them of converting the anti-corruption movement to launch a 'personal campaign' and warned that the country will give them a 'suitable answer when the time comes'.

Salman Khurshid said that “we all felt they started off with a good idea. Idea of containing corruption and questioning corruption was a good idea. But today, they are doing greatest disservice to this idea by converting it into a personal campaign and personal ambition”.

“I will quite confidently say that the country will give them a suitable answer when the time comes,” he said.

He alleged that the Anna members are 'screaming and shouting' in an attempt to beat back the government.

Meanwhile, demanding a probe into the allegations against the ministers, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “Nobody suspects Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But the way in which his government is drowned in corruption and scams. So it is natural that the taint reaches him also. It is unfortunate but it will happen.”

“...This war of words between civil society and government should end. The government should order an investigation,” he said.