New Delhi:
Just days after accusing 15 top ministers including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of corruption, Team Anna has hit out again, this time targeting the PM directly. Team Anna's legal brain Prashant Bhushan has said that the PM is weak and is being used as a shield by the Congress to hide corrupt dealings.
"The bigger question is, is Congress using the PM as a "Shikhandi" and projecting him as an honest face and that no one should attack the Cabinet and the Government," said Mr Bhushan.
The Congress, that chose not to react against the earlier corruption allegations, has now said that Team Anna is going too far.
"It is completely wrong for anyone to raise such questions on our Prime Minister's integrity," said Congress Spokesperson Manish Tiwari.
Rashtriya Janata Dal's Lalu Yadav was also quick to jump to the PM's defence. "Because of such unnecessary comments earlier Prashant Bhushan was attacked... They should take back their baseless allegation," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked Team Anna to exercise control over its language while criticising the Prime Minister, saying that use of intemperate words against somebody holding the top post is not acceptable.
"Any use of improper words against the Prime Minister is not acceptable. Members of Team Anna will have to exercise control over their language," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
Team Anna may have targeted the PM again, but in levelling corruption charges against Dr Singh and asking for a special probe, the divisions within Team Anna were exposed.
On May 26, prominent Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and Mr Bhushan had written to the Prime Minister demanding for the setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe cases of corruption against 15 ministers, including him, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna. The anti-graft group has picked up portions of a draft report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to make charges against the Prime Minister when the Coal Ministry was with him. A day later, Anna Hazare said," As of now, I know nothing about the Prime Minister being corrupt. I don't know if the team knows something."
Many in the government are now questioning whether this is just an attempt by Team Anna to put themselves back in the headlines.
"On going through the background of the team members, especially that of Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, one can understand that they had traded charges of irregularities against each other. The team has lost its faith among the public," said V Narayanasamy, Union Minister.
With Team Anna threatening an indefinite fast from 25 July to press for its demand for a probe against who they call tainted ministers, the war of words may get shriller.