The war of words between Congress leaders and the anti-corruption activists escalated on Thursday as Law Minister Salman Khurshid threatened to drag anti-graft activist Arvind Kejriwal to the court.
Kejriwal had alleged that the minister was involved in misuse of funds meant for disabled people of Uttar Pradesh.
On the other hand, the Congress demanded an inquiry into how a tea plantation in Himachal Pradesh was sold to Supreme Court senior lawyer Shanti Bhushan two years ago in alleged violation of local laws. Land in Himachal cannot be owned by non-residents.
Khurshid reacted angrily to a TV news report on the basis of which Kejriwal sought the minister’s resignation and said his (Kejirwal’s) behaviour was worse than that of “gutter snipes.
“I will file a civil as well as criminal case against Kejriwal,” he told a TV channel.
Louise Khurshid, his wife and project director of the Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, the NGO in controversy, rejected the allegations in a detailed statement issued on Wednesday.
She denied any financial irregularities in grants given by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the welfare of physically impaired people.
Louise termed the allegations as “devoid of merit, false, malicious and baseless.”
She said she had herself requested the Uttar Pradesh chief minister on September 17 to
conduct an inquiry so that the truth is revealed and it is established that the trust has not forged signatures of any officer. A TV channel on Tuesday had alleged that the NGO had forged signatures of senior district officials in Uttar Pradesh for depriving disabled people of their money.
Gherao planned
Kejriwal took up the issue and decided to organise a gherao at the residence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to demand resignation of the minister.
Regarding Bhushan’s Himachal property, Congress leader and Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said: “This land was worth Rs 7-8 crore but was given to him (Bhushan) for a few lakhs.”
Bhushan bought 4.68 hectares of land for the construction of an educational institution in 2010.
Bhushan asserted that the land was bought for an educational society and permission for which was given by the government “which is perfectly in accordance with the law.”
Reacting to the controversy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said in Shimla that the “government should not be dragged in the differences between two people. Bhushan applied for land. All the formalities were done. He said he would use it for education trust. I don’t know what is the need to fight and argue so much.”
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