New Delhi: Ridiculing Kiran Bedi's statement
that money she had overcharged from NGOs and other hosts would
be returned, Congress on Monday said by this yardstick if corrupt
people give back money, they too should be absolved of their
crimes.
"This means if the corrupt people return money, they will
also be absolved of their crimes. Then why has A Raja been
kept in jail. Raja also returns money and comes out?" AICC
general secretary Digvijay Singh contended.
His reaction came after Bedi, under attack over charging
her hosts business class for economy class travel, today
offered to return the excess money collected.
Singh said the entire anti-corruption movement of Team
Anna was conceived and executed by RSS-BJP combine.
The Congress leader also said that BJP's defence of
Arvind Kejriwal, another key Team Anna member, in the
controversy surrounding transfer of money to his NGO was
proof enough of the nexus between Team Anna and RSS-BJP.
Singh said on the micro-blogging community site Twitter
"BJP comes to defence of Kejriwal. Doesn't that prove me
right? Complete nexus between RSS/BJP and Kejriwal. Anna ki
Jai Ho."
Singh later told reporterws," BJP has categorically
supported Kejriwal. It has vindicated once again what I have
been saying that the whole campaign of Anna Hazare and Ramdev
has been conceived, planned and executed by RSS and BJP."
Party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said people soon lose
faith in leaders, spearheading the movement against
corruption, not having a clean image.
Alvi also dismissed the arguments of Bedi for accepting
more money than she actually spent on visiting those NGOs
recalling that the former Chief Justice of India J S Verma and
even Team Anna member Santosh Hegde have said there was no
justification.
Taking a jibe at Kejriwal, Singh said that the former
claims to be an RTI activist and always talks about
transparency. So now, he should explain why the money which
was meant for India Against Corruption was transferred to his
own trust.
"For what reason money taken for India Against Corruption
if is deposited in the bank account of another NGO," he said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, October 24, 2011, 20:06