Ghaziabad, Nov 2: Facing allegations of financial misconduct, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal says he will quit the anti-graft movement if “corruption of even Rs 10 is proved” against him.
On the day the movement's audit report for six months starting April was released, Kejriwal also dared the Congress and the BJP to make public information about all the donations received by the parties.
Claiming that allegations were levelled against him and other Team Anna members to weaken the movement, he said, “I challenge those making the allegations, our accounts are on the web site, if they prove corruption of even Rs 10, I will leave the movement and surrender for being punished.”
Speaking to reporters at the office of India Against Corruption, he said, “Congress had recently made public funds received by it. If the party wants to maintain a clean image, it should release information about all the money received by it from other sources”.
He also asked the opposition BJP to follow suit. Kejriwal's statement came even as Congress leader Digvijay Singh targeted him again.
“For Anna's Super Team. Na Khata na Bahi. Jo Kejriwal kahe woh sahi!” (No accounts, no books, whatever Kejriwal says is right), Singh said on a popular micro-blogging website. The AICC general secretary was apparently reacting to allegations against Kejriwal of siphoning off Rs 80 lakh from India Against Corruption to his trust and Team Anna's decision to return Rs 42.55 lakh to donors who “did not provide their complete details and their sources of funding”.
Regarding the notice issued by Income Tax department, Kejriwal claimed that it was not valid. “Many more officers like me have left the job after training but government has never initiated action against them,” he said and alleged that authorities had acted with prejudice in his case.
He said that he will pay Rs 9.27 lakh in dues to the department but needed time to arrange the money. Kejriwal said that he and other members had briefed Anna Hazare about the meeting of core committee. He said that Hazare did not want to change the members on the basis of “charges levelled by government”.
Kejriwal said he was ready to face all proceedings if any charge of corruption is proved against him.
