Crummy gems in Anna Hazare's team? Shanti Bhushan in CD row

Published: Saturday, April 16, 2011, 11:38 [IST]

New Delhi, Apr 16: Members of the joint committee, which has been set up after a nation-wide protest to draft an anti-corruption bill, will hold its first meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, Apr 16. But just a day ahead, Anna Hazare's trump card, the co-chairman of the committee - Shanti Bhushan landed in a fresh CD row.

A CD, which allegedly showed a conversation between former law minister Shanti Bhushan and Samajwadi Party Leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh, raised fresh controversy on Friday, Apr 15.

The CD allegedly contains the conversation in which Shanti Bhushan telling Mulayam Singh that his son Prashant Bhushan can help in the matter of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

However, rejecting all such allegations, Shanti Bhushan filed an FIR and claimed that the CD was 'fabricated and an attempt to malign' him. In his FIR, Shanti Bhushan stated, a journalist from Indian Express, came with the CD which had been delivered at the office of Indian Express anonymously.

"The said CD is clearly a fabricated CD as I have never had any conversation with the aforementioned persons," Shanti Bhushan stated in his FIR.

Meanwhile, Amar Singh said, "Until the father of this tape is unknown, this tape is unauthorised. I request to not defame anyone by making the tape public."

"I don't remember anything about this tape. I have talked to Mulayam Singh many a times in the past and if I have distributed this tape then at least I will delete my voice," Amar Singh added.

Now, the controversy over Anna Hazare's team member may raise several questions as Hazare so far has claimed to have a corruption free committee members to draft the "Lokpal Bill." No reactions have come from Anna Hazare yet. The 10 member joint committee:

Representatives of civil society: