Team Anna, Swami Agnivesh in war of words over 'unaccounted' funds

NEW DELHI: Swami Agnivesh's claim that Arvind Kejriwal siphoned off over 80 lakh from the Anna campaign kitty came in for attack from Team Anna on Sunday. They said the accounts of the campaign would be published on the organisation's website.

"Our website is updated till March 31. We have got our accounts audited for the last six months and its details will be out on our website by the end of this month," Team Anna member Manish Sisodia said.

Arvind Kejriwal was accused of depositing the donations for the Hazare campaign for a strong Lokpal in a private trust run by him. None of the prominent Team Anna activists are members of the trust.

"This lack of transparency creates doubts. Anna Hazare himself specifically instructed Kejriwal and his colleagues to make sure whatever funds have been received for the movement should be accounted for. They should be properly audited and put up on the website with full transparency. This is something serious. The data must be put up on the website as soon as possible to dispel any type of misgiving regarding the movement and its transparency," Swami Agnivesh said.

Swami Agnivesh's attack triggered a fresh war of words between the Congress and Team Anna. Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi said the charges levelled by Swami Agnivesh against Kejriwal were serious. "He owes an explanation," Chaturvedi said.

The BJP came to the aid of Kejriwal and charged Swami Agnivesh of being an "agent" of the Congress. "Agnivesh was spying for the Congress. This is not his statement. The Congress is using Swami Agnivesh," BJP leader Shahnawaz Husain said.

BJP leader Varun Gandhi also came out in support of Team Anna, under attack over the use of funds donated by public, and said the attacks were "shameful". "The concerted manner of attacks on Team Anna is shameful. All of us must strongly oppose this insidious protect-corruption-campaign," Gandhi posted on the micro-blogging site Twitter. An MP from Pilibhit, Gandhi had in August said he would present the Jan Lokpal bill in the Lok Sabha.