Now Team Anna throws hat in to cleanse up Defence!

Team Anna - Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan - vows to unravel much in Defence Ministry. Claims to give papers depicting irregularities in defence deals.

Keep watching this space.

UPDATE -

Team Anna on Thursday distributed over 100-page documents suggesting linkage of Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi with defence firms and Foreign Minister SM Krishna giving a favourable report for an Israeli telecom company at the behest of arms dealer Abhishek Verma.

Son of Congress MPs, Verma has been in dock over the commission in Scorpene Submarine deals. The Team Anna alleged that he has been striking deals with foreign firms in lieu of winning defence contracts for them. However, many of the deals mentioned in the documents like Helicopters for Delhi Police from Augusta Westland have not materialized.

In its statement, Kejriwal and Bhushan said that the documents were received from a US citizen C Edmonds Allen, who claimed to have been managing the wealth amassed by Abhishek Verma by facilitating defence deals. The Team said that they were “not sure about the authenticity of the documents received”, but nonetheless the government should probe them to dig out the truth.

In an itinerary of foreign officials of Sig Sauer firm that manufactures small arms, lists their meeting with Rahul Gandhi, “the Scion of Gandhi Family”, at his residence on Dec 6, 2011.  

Without confirming if they have evidence about Abhishek Verma playing role in the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters by Defence Ministry, Kejriwal said: “When Abhishek Verma is an agent of Augusta Westland and when Defence Ministry’s policy does not allow existence of middlemen, what action has been taken against the agent and the firm.”

“Edmonds had contacted us to give the documents as he received no reply from Indian investigating agencies like the CBI, ED and Defence Ministry despite sending them all the evidence,” Kejriwal added.

The documents also cast an aspersion on Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna. According to them, Verma arranged for a report in favour of an Israeli telecom company for rolling back of anti-dumping duty through Krishna, who visited Tel Aviv early this year.

The  Team Anna threw its weight behind Indian Army Chief General VK Singh and alleged that the government was conspiring against him for being honest.

Backing the Army Chief in his “crusade against corruption”, Team Anna said they would welcome him on their platform post his retirement.

“This is apparent by the series of events in the last one year that the Army Chief is an honest officer and was waging a war against corruption. The government in liaison with the media is trying to rake up these controversies,” Anna Hazare’s key associate and lawyer Prashant Bhushan said.

Arvind Kejriwal added: “We have not met him (General Singh). But we support his crusade against corruption. We would welcome him on this platform post-retirement to show a ray of hope to this nation.”