Allegations against Anna show nervousness of Congress: Team Hazare

NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare's team today hit out at Congress for levelling allegations against the Gandhian saying the charges only betrayed the party's "nervousness" in the face of his proposed fast and wondered whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was responsible only to his office and not to the country.

As Congress raised its pitch seeking to puncture Hazare's morality plank by telling him to first clarify the "serious findings" of Justice P B Sawant Commission against him and his trusts, his close associate Kiran Bedi said Congress spokesman Manish Tewari seems to be "under stress" to defend his party.

"Such an allegation speaks of visible nervousness of Anna's call for it has reached out to all victims of corruption," Bedi said.

Claiming that the country is fortunate to have the likes of Hazare, she said the Gandhian is a recipient of some of the most prestigious national awards like Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri and "the first basis of all these is integrity".

She said one has to either crush corruption or be ready to stay crushed by it. "August 16 (when Hazare starts his indefinite fast), provides an opportunity and Anna will not be here forever," she said.

Tewari claimed that team Anna consists of "armchair fascists, overground Maoists, closet anarchists ...lurking behing forces of right reaction and funded by invisible donors whose links may go back a long way abroad".

On the Prime Minister's late night letter to Hazare asking him to approach Delhi Police on the issue of his protest venue, activist Arvind Kejriwal said, "It seems that the Prime Minister is responsible for PMO and not for the country.

"If the Constitution is not followed, if fundamental rights are not allowed, if there is a problem, it seems he is hesitating to take responsibility," he alleged.