Cong ups ante against Hazare, seeks explanations on Justice Sawant report

With Anna Hazare team questioning Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's honesty, Congress on Monday upped the ante against the Gandhian seeking explanations from him on Justice P B Sawant's report which had indicted the trust he was associated with in a graft case.


Party spokesperson Manish Tewari said, "People who hold the mirror of morality to the whole country and want to teach values to others, should also see their faces in the same mirror. Many people have asked what Hazare has to say on the remarks by Justice Sawant in his report against Hazare."
The Maharashtra state government had instituted a Commission of Inquiry under Justice P B Sawant, in September 2003 to inquire into allegations of corruption and maladministration against several people, including Anna Hazare.
The Commission submitted its report on February 22, 2005 in which it criticised Hind Swaraj Trust for spending 2.20 lakhs of its funds on the birthday celebrations of Hazare finding it to be a "corrupt" practice. It also indicted Sant Yadavbaba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, a trust with which Hazare is associated since its inception in 1980 for committing "illegalities" in its audits.
Tewari said "when you raise the issue of morality, then it becomes your responsibility to answer if any commission of inquiry raises questions on your conduct."
Tewari also made light of Hazare's plans to meet the Chief Justice of India to ensure that his proposed hunger strike on August 16 does not meet the fate of Ramdev's fast at Ramlila ground where the police allegedly lathicharged the participants.
Though maintaining that everybody in this country has the right to knock the doors of the court, the Congress spokesperson said, "Those who have never been part of any political agitation naturally have the fear of the police sticks. Had he been part of political agitations, he would have overcome that fear."
Hazare team on Monday raised its pitch on Lokpal Bill demanding that its version be placed before Parliament saying the "weak" government draft was a "joke" played on the nation.
The Gandhian also shot off a letter to the Prime Minister seeking to punch holes in the government's stand on the anti-corruption law and alleged that the Centre and state governments were pointing fingers at each other to avoid a strong institution to fight corruption.
Swami Agnivesh, a core member of the Hazare team, sought to question Singh's honesty, saying that he was elected to Rajya Sabha showing as a resident of Assam after renting a room in the house of former Chief Minister Hiteshwar Saikia.