NEWS

Arvind Kejriwal attacks Union ministers

By PTI
March 25, 2012 17:30 IST
Some of the prominent United Progressive Alliance ministers on Sunday came under fire from Team Anna at the fast venue of Anna Hazare with the activist's close aide Arvind Kejriwal claiming that cases could have been registered against 14 ministers if there was a Lokpal.

Addressing protesters, Kejriwal took the names of around 25 politicians, including ministers Sharad Pawar, S M Krishna, P Chidambaram, Praful Patel, Kapil Sibal, Kamal Nath, Farooq Abdullah, Ajit Singh, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Vilasrao Deshmukh, MK Azhagiri and G K Vasan.

"If Lokpal Bill comes into force, FIRs will be lodged against 14 ministers of the Union government," he said.

"Who will punsih people like them? Delhi police or the CBI? No one knows because these people will never pass Lokpal Bill," Kejriwal said.

He said 162 MPs have criminal cases against them which include 20 with attempt to murder cases.

Kejriwal said MPs like RJD chief Lalu Yadav, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav as well as DMK's A Raja and Kanimozhi have corruption cases against them.

"Can such a Parliament pass Lokpal bill? Can such a Parliament pass bill against corruption and cheating? The situation is not good in states too," he said.

Taking on opposition BJP, he said the party was now planning to reinstate Yeddyurappa as chief minister in Karnataka.

"He was removed on corruption charges. There are corruption cases against Mulayam and Jayalalithaa...," he said. He demanded that the government should appoint fast-track courts to investigate charges against Parliamentarians.

The courts should dispose of the cases in six months and those who are convicted shold be kept out of Parliament, he said.

"People say I have insulted Parliament. Who has insulted the Parliament? The people who have sent them i.e. high command they have insulted Parliament or I have insulted Parliament?

"Who have insulted? People who throw microphones at each other or me? Rajneeti Prasad has sent a notice to me. He says Parliament is a temple. I am asking whether someone will go the temple and tear Gita? I did not do anything wrong. I am ready to face the music," he said.

Touching upon the porn-gate in Karnataka Assembly, he said "BJP MLAs sit inside and watch blue films and BJP ministers give a clean chit to them.

"When Sharad Pawar was slapped, which was unfortunate, Parliament discussed it for two hours but when Narendra Kumar was killed there was not even a mention of the incident in Parliament.

"When Pawar was slapped there was nothing but people cried when Narendra Kumar was killed. Parliament does not discuss things which people want, it discusses things which are of interest to them," he said.

Another Team Anna member Manish Sisodia said many ministers have been speaking against them in Parliament. He alleged that two ministers -- Chidambaram and Sibal -- tried to crush their movement.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal tweeted, "Constitution was drafted in three years. Lokpal not done in 44 years?...No consensus amongst political parties on Lokpal in 44 years. If they have to increase their salaries, there is consensus in 5 minutes.

"More than 25 people, fighting against corruption, murdered in last ten years. Many of them could have been saved if Jan Lokpal had been there," he said.

PTI
Source: PTI
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