New Delhi:
Rejecting senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's allegations of massive spending during social activist Anna Hazare's four-day-long hunger strike, RTI activist and a member of the Jan Lokpal Bill draft panel Arvind Kejriwal today defended the funding for the anti-corruption crusade led by Anna Hazare.
Dubbing the Congress General Secretary's claims as wrong, Mr Kejriwal said that Rs. 32 lakh were spent during the last four months.
"He is wrong actually. We have put out all the figures, why doesn't he see the figures? We have put out all the figures in public domain. We've received a total of Rs 82 lakh and a total of Rs 32 lakh has been spent. Now these Rs 32 lakh have been spent in last four months and it was not just in this Jantar Mantar, it was spent on Ramlila also, it has been spent on couple of places... also includes 6 or 7 lakh which was spent in Mumbai also. Mumbai accounts were also included in this. It includes not just Jantar Mantar expenditure but all the preparations that were involved in between," said Mr Kejriwal.
His response came after Digvijaya Singh, on Saturday, said that Rs 50 lakh was spent on Mr Hazare's four-day agitation at Jantar Mantar in the national Capital.
He also took on the civil society representatives, by claiming that the drafting of the Lokpal Bill should be done in consultation with the political parties.
The Congress General Secretary had on Saturday said, "Though I am in favour of the Bill, the job of finalising the draft for such an important institution cannot be left just to a few members of the civil society".
He also asked why only select members of the civil society were in the present panel (besides ministers). "Are politicians uncivilised? Can't they be members of civil society?"
Mr Singh suggested that the drafting committee should invite representatives of all the political parties to discuss the bill, and it should also ponder how the corporate sector and NGOs could be brought within the ambit of Lokpal.
"If Anna Hazare and his associates think that whatever they decide in the name of civil society is sacrosanct, it is not acceptable," the Congress leader had said.
(
With PTI inputs)