I will give up my public life if allegations proved: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh aboard the special aircraft on his return journey from Myanmar to New Delhi today told the accompanying media personnel that Team Anna’s recent corruption allegations against him and other ministers are irresponsible and unfortunate. “I will give up my public life if allegations are proved against me,” Singh said. “It is unfortunate that irresponsible allegations relating to irregularities in allocation of coal blocks are being made without confirming facts,” the prime minister said.[caption id=“attachment_325201” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Unhappy with Team Anna. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] However today, after calling Singh Shikhandi, Prashant Bhushan back tracked on his statement, even as key member of Team Anna and former Supreme Court judge, Justice Santosh Hegde said he dissociated himself from the comment. “I did not call PM a Shikhandi….But when PM lets corruption flourish under his leadership, what is the point of personal honesty," Bhushan said. Meanwhile Justice (retd) Hegde said that he would not like to associate himself with Bhushan’s opinions on the Prime Minister. “I dissociate myself not from the team but from a particular word used against the Prime Minister. According to me it should not be used against anyone in a polite conversation,” Justice (retired) Santosh Hegde told Times Now. “He is the Prime Minister of the country and you don’t use such language,” he added. Hegde also questioned the ‘charge sheet’ that Team Anna had sent to the prime minister, saying that he had not seen all the charges against the various ministers they had accused of corruption. The anti-corruption activists had demanded a probe against the ministers, including the prime minister, over the allegations of corruption. But Hegde said he did not see the document as it could not be opened on his BlackBerry. When asked if he would dissociate himself from Team Anna over the issue, Hegde said, “If the material that they have is convincing enough to prove guilt then I have no problem in joining them, otherwise no.” He also denied that he was leaving the team saying, “as far as I am concerned I am a part of Team Anna, if they want to get rid of me that is a different issue”. Team Anna on Monday accused the prime minister of turning a blind eye to corruption and lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Team Anna member said that the Congress was using Manmohan Singh as a shield like Shikhandi. “The Congress is using the Prime Minister as a shield like Shikhandi. They say he is clean, so his cabinet must be clean. Why is the prime minister allowing himself to be used like Shikhandi in this manner?” Bhushan said in an interview to CNN-IBN. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav defended the prime minister and criticised Team Anna for indulging in disrespectful comments. “PM is not only a PM but a leader and such kind of comments from Prashant Bhushan are disrespectful to a great leader who has a clean record,” he said. Shikhandi is a character in the Mahabharata, who was used by the Pandavas to kill Bhishma. Knowing that Bhishma would not attack Shikhandi, Arjuna hid behind Shikhandi and attacked Bhishma with a volley of arrows. With agency inputs