Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) Anna Hazare Monday defended key team member Kiran Bedi - who is alleged to have encashed inflated travel bills when invited for seminars and other functions - and slammed the “Gang of Four” that is opposing the Jan Lokpal bill.

In his latest blog, Hazare who is on a maun vrat (vow of silence) for the past few days, said that if the government feels that Bedi had used the money for her personal gains, it should probe the mater and “take stringent action against her if found guilty”.

He said: “Bedi has been accused of being involved in air-travel corruption. She has time and again made it clear that if she has done such a thing and used the money for the benefit of her family then the government should take help of one of its own inquiry agencies and if found guilty should take stringent actions against her.”

“To accuse and humiliate seems to be the mantra of the few,” he added.

“This is not the first time that such accusations have been levelled against Kiran Bedi. Every member of ‘Team Anna’ had to face accusations and character assassination by the ‘gang of four’. Who are these people? Those are the very same people who are not in favor of Jan Lokpal bill.”

However, Hazare did not name who constitute the “Gang of Four”.

Hazare came out in defence of yoga guru Ramdev and alleged that the government wanted that he and Ramdev did not join hands.

His blog said : “The government’s intention was clear - ‘Anna Hazare and Ramdev Baba should not meet’. By ruthlessly beating up women was the Delhi Police trying to prove they are man enough?

Hazare said he “will be writing a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the draft for the Jan Lokpal bill to be passed should be put on the internet so that people can have a look at it and not limit it to the Joint Committee (parliamentary standing committee).”

“Late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, before making amendments in the 73rd and 74th Act had sent a letter to 5.5 lakh villages to call for gramsabha vote,” he recalled.