New Delhi:
Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement has received donations worth nearly 3 crores in the last six months. Of this, more than a crore was contributed during the Gandhian's 12-day fast in Delhi in August.
Team Anna has said that of the 2.94 crores received, they plan to returns Rs 42 lakhs to donors who "did not provide their complete details and their sources of funding."
That announcement was mocked by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh who seems to have incorporated critiques of Team Anna into his daily routine. Mr Singh tweeted today, "Super Team Anna to do an impossible Act. Return 40 Lakhs to unknown Donors. Only the Super Heroes can collect from unknown and return them."
He added, "Na Khata na Bahi. Jo Kejriwal kahe woh sahi (We should not take into account anything else, but whatever Kejriwal says is right)!"
An audit of the donations received by Team Anna was shared by The Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), which counts among its trustees Arvind Kejriwal, who is Anna's closest aide.
Swami Agnivesh, an activist who exited Anna's inner circle towards the end of Anna's fast in August, had questioned Mr Kejriwal's move to deposit donations made to Anna's movement with the PCRF.
The audit reveals that of the 2.51 crores that Team Anna has accrued, 1.5 crores have been spent so far with close to 50 lakhs being used to organize facilities at Anna's sit-in protest camp at Ramlila Maidan in August.
On its website today, the India Against Corruption team shared this explanation: "Questions are being raised about how can IAC return 40 lakh to unknown people? The explanation is as follows: IAC accepts donation only from Indian citizens and Rs. 33,80,463.86/- was received by online transfer as well as in form of cheque deposits. But due to lack of complete details of donors and the source of funding it was decided that the amount should be returned to the donors.Furthermore, some donors who have been issued receipts have not provided their details despite repeated requests. Thus we will be refunding the amount donated by them too. The amount comes to 8,75,234/-"
"The receipts issues against such cheques which are being returned unpaid, will be cancelled."