Don't create gap between government, civil society: Khurshid

Gill Saab

Yaar Malang
New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) A day after veteran activist Anna Hazare blamed the government for trying to defame his team members, Law Minister Salman Khurshid Tuesday cautioned against creating a divide between the government and civil society.

'I don't think we should talk through media. I will not say anything, I will only say whosoever tries to create a distance between the civil society and the government is not doing any favour,' Khurshid said in reply to questions on Hazare's comment.

Hazare, on his blog Monday, accused a 'Gang of Four' of trying to defame Team Anna members, without taking any names.

Khurshid, however, said: 'Please don't create greater distance between civil society and us.'

Key Team Anna members have been amidst controversies recently. Former top cop Kiran Bedi has been accused of giving inflated claims for her travel expenses. In his latest post, Hazare, who has taken a vow of silence for the past few days, said that if the government feels Bedi had used the money for personal gains, it should probe the matter and 'take stringent action against her if found guilty'.

Another Team Anna member, Arvind Kejriwal, has been accused of not giving an account of some Rs.70-80 lakh donations collected at Anna Hazare's fast in Ramlila ground in August. Another member, Prashant Bhushan, recently came under attack when he favoured a plebiscite in Kashmir.
 
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