New Delhi, Oct 15 (ANI): Indian Against Corruption (IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal, who called off his agitation at the Jantar Mantar here on Monday, said that he would take the protest against Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid to the latter's constituency Farrukhabad.
Kejriwal said that he would start a campaign against Khurshid in Farrukhabad and urge the people to field a differently-abled candidate against him in the 2014 elections.
"We are suspending our agitation, not closing it. We will go to villages and continue the fight. We will take our fight to every village of Farrukhabad," Kejriwal told his supporters here.
Kejriwal also hit out at Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad for his bizarre remark that Rs 71 lakh is a very small amount for a minister, and said that this shows the arrogance of the UPA Government.
"I had hoped that since Khurshid is the Law Minister, there would be some action. But we have been protesting for four weeks and the government still supports him and says there is no need for a probe," said Kejriwal.
Beni Prasad, speaking at a press conference earlier defended the Law Minister, and said that Rs 71 lakh was a very small amount for a minister of the stature of Salman Khurshid.
"If it were a bigger amount, it would be serious. A person like Salman Khurshid will not do any scam for Rs 71 lakh... had it been Rs 71 crore, I would take it seriously," he said.
RTI crusader Kejriwal, who produced the testimonies of people to counter the Law Minister's defence over embezzlement of funds by the trust run by the latter and his wife, earlier today alleged a direct quid pro quo between Samajwadi Party and Salman Khurshid.
Kejriwal said that the Uttar Pradesh Government would save the Law Minister, as Salman Khurshid appoints the lawyer who fights Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's case in the Supreme Court in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
Kejriwal, who produced the testimony of people to prove his claim, alleged that Khurshid is trying to cover misappropriation of funds.
"Khurshid has proven nothing. Salman Khurshid played fraud by showing wrong pictures. Khurshid showed 2010-11 pictures, but the fund embezzlement took place in 2009," said Kejriwal, while addressing his supporters at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
"The beneficiaries don't exist on given addresses. One of the beneficiaries was not handicapped. Khurshid's trust doled out funds to non-existent beneficiaries. The listed beneficiaries deny attending camps, availing benefits," he added.
Kejriwal, who demanded a SIT probe into the allegations, also hit out at the ruling Congress Party for coming out in defence of the Law Minister.
Kejriwal also said that he is seeking in writing a meeting with Prime Minister on the wrongdoing with the differently-abled people by Khurshid's trust.
Alleging that Salman Khurshid did not reply to their questions on the trust controversy, Kejriwal earlier demanded that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi should speak out on the issue and that the Law Minister should be arrested.
Salman Khurshid had earlier strongly rebutted the charges made against him and his wife Louise by a private media group of misappropriation of funds allotted to their NGO.
Addressing a press conference along with his wife Louise here on Sunday, Khurshid asserted that the camps for the disabled, organised by his Dr. Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, were held at different places in Uttar Pradesh.
Khurshid showed pictures of camps organized for the differently-abled persons in various places to refute allegations that the camps had not really been held.
He also showed a picture of an officer whose signatures were claimed to be forged by the Trust, attending one such camp.
Khurshid said that after the trust approached the CAG regarding the comments against the NGO in its draft report, CAG asked them to furnish relevant documents and assured that their final report would be made only after consideration of such proof. (ANI)
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