|
New Delhi: Team Anna
Saturday renewed its attack on the Congress-led United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government, alleging Prime Minster Manmohan Singh
and 14 cabinet ministers were involved in massive corruption.
Besides Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna also figured in the 79-page document prepared by Team Anna
purportedly showing their alleged involvement in various cases.
"We have sent the documents to the prime minister. An independent
probe should be marked into the allegations, which include around
15 cabinet ministers," lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who is a leading
member of Team Anna, told reporters here.
Team Anna questioned the role of Manmohan Singh in the coal scam
which recently came to light. According to a report of the
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), mining rights for coal
blocks had been allocated without auctioning them and this led to
massive profits for some chosen private firms.
The prime minister was in charge of the coal portfolio from
November 2006 to May 2009.
"Under his watch, a major coal allocation scam took place, which
allowed private firms to make windfall gains, as is clear from the
facts that are now out in the public domain and the report of the
CAG," said the documents released by Team Anna.
Team Anna said that during his tenure as finance minister P.
Chidambaram overruled the officers of his own ministry who
favoured auction, market-based pricing of spectrum, and instead
allowed the 2G scam to take place.
Bhushan also said that Pranab Mukherjee during his tenure as
defence minister did not order any investigation in the Scorpene
deal despite the media's detailed expose in the issue.
This submarine deal was signed between India and France.
"We demand that the government conduct an independent enquiry in
all these matters. And if nothing happens, there will be a
movement from July 25, in which people will decide what to do,"
said Arvind Kejriwal, another Team Anna member.
Other cabinet ministers named by Team Anna include union
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, Heavy Industries
Minister Praful Patel, Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Virbhadra
Singh, Human Resources Minister Kapil Sibal, Law Minister Salman
Khurshid, Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan, Minister for New and
Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, Minister for Chemicals and
Fertilisers M.K. Alagiri, and Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
|
Comments
|
Quick links