Hazare was upset over funds, didn't want hanky-panky: Agnivesh

After raising questions about the way in which funds for activist Anna Hazare's agitation were managed, Swami Agnivesh on Monday claimed that the Gandhian was upset about the management of the accounts.

Agnivesh claimed that Hazare expressed concern when he came to know about certain lapses. During a meeting in Ralegan Siddhi on September 10 and 11, he told Team Anna members that they were "unacceptable" and that an audit should be conducted.

"Hazare said that copies (of the audit) should be sent to him and told the meeting 'if you make people associated with the movement as trustees, the people would have more trust in us'," Agnivesh said.

His comments came days after he alleged that funds collected for the agitation was deposited in the trust run by Arvind Kejriwal from which the names of major Team Anna members were missing.

He had earlier alleged that Kejriwal had siphoned off over Rs 80 lakh.

"Hazare told the meeting that an audit should be conducetd since his name is associated with the movement. He told the meeting that he will not allow any 'hanky-panky'. He said you should make sure that audit is done and posted on the website," he said.

Agnivesh was ousted from Team Anna following the surfacing of a video in which he was shown talking to someone and asking him to deal with Hazare strongly.

He said the Gandhian had set a deadline of October 15 for completing the audit.

"Now, it has been sometime since the deadline is over. So it is obvious that people would be worried as nothing has been done about the issue," he said.

"If there is any reason why it has not been done, they should have allowed people to know about it," Agnivesh said, adding that he was not levelling any allegations against anyone.

"Funds that have been spent and funds that have been collected should both be audited. This is the need of the hour if the faith of people is to be kept intact," he said.

Agnivesh, who on Saturday alleged that Kejriwal has siphoned off over Rs 80 lakh donated for Hazare's agitation by diverting it to a trust run by him, said Anna Hazare does not have his associated with the Public Cause Research Foundation run by Kejriwal.

"Even Justice Santosh Hegde, who has a clean image, does not have his name in the trust. So, the main members of the Team were not part of the trust. The old trust, Kejriwal and his members were part of it, the money was deposited in their name," he alleged.