Bhushan, Kejriwal dare govt on 'smear campaign'

Mumbai: A belligerent Team Anna came out all guns blazing against the government as it battles multiple departments involving issues related to the top brass of the India Against Corruption — Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi.

Slamming the government over the I-T department notice asking him to pay dues over Rs 9 lakh, a defiant Arvind Kejriwal said,“The government did not reply to me four years. I did not violate any job contract.”

A prominent member of Team Anna, lawyer Prashant Bhushan addressing the media in New Delhi said, “The government is playing dirty tricks. The government is targeting us.”

Kejriwal, who is on leave without pay since 2004, said, “The government has launched a smear campaign against Team Anna. They should rather be discussing the Jan Lokpal Bill.”

The Income Tax department notice says Kejriwal has dues of Rs 9 lakh which arose because of a breach of service bond and the accumulation of interest on a loan.

Kejriwal denied these charges saying that for the last five years the IT department has not accepted his resignation and there was no breach of bond. He added there was no violation from his side as he went on a study leave in 2000 and returned in 2002. The rule states that employees have to wait three years after returning from study leave before resigning. Kejriwal said he accordingly resigned in 2006. But since then the IT department has not accepted his resignation.

According to them he is still an IRS employee and his resignation will not be accepted until he pays his dues. According to the notice, Kejriwal also took a computer loan of Rs 50,000 on which the accumulated interest now comes to be Rs 1lakh. Kejriwal says he does not have the money to repay the loan and the interest but that can be deducted from his Provident Fund.

The notice was served a week before Anna Hazare began his 16 August fast. Kejriwal has questioned the timing and charges of the notice.

Bhushan also questioned the motive of the Privilege Motion against team member Kiran Bedi, who managed to irk the political class by her theatrics at the Ramlila Maidan during Anna Hazare’s recent 12-day fast.

Offering their availability for any kind of probe, Kejriwal said  the team believed in transparency and the government can go to any extent to dig out their past.

Earlier Team Anna member Justice Santosh Hegde said that the IT notice on Kejriwal was an instance of ‘harassment’ by the government. Speaking to media, shortly after news of the notice became public, Justice Hegde said that the timing seemed ‘vindictive’.

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