Why our phones are being tapped, Kejriwal asks govt

Arvind Kejriwal, who has alleged that phones of Team Anna members are being tapped, on Sunday demanded that the government answer whether it considered them as a threat to national security.

"Is Anna Hazare a threat to the nation?" he asked and demanded an answer from the Union Home Secretary.

"The government permits tapping of phone of a person in the larger national interest if that person is posing threat to the security of the nation. I don't know why our phones are being tapped," Kejriwal told mediapersons in Nagpur.

Amid the controversy over Hazare's blog, Kejriwal said Anna has stopped the blog. He was referring to journalist Raju Parulekar's blogpost written for Anna. He also denied knowledge about Parulekar "being close" to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray.

Asked whether he has plans to meet top brass of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha leadership at Sangh headquarters in Nagpur, he said he has no such plans.

"But all are welcome to support our cause, be it people from Congress, BJP, RSS and others," Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal said he was proceeding to Amravati in western Vidarbha which has witnessed thousands of suicides by the farmers. He claimed that one of the factors behind suicides was corruption.

Even basic demands made by the farmers were not met and even after the suicides, the authorities were indulging in corruption while extending benefits to their kin.

On the possibility of mid-term polls in the country, Kejriwal said he was not for it as the mission is to pursue the Jan Lokpal bill.

To a question on Team Anna's demand for Right to Recall, Kejriwal said, "We are pursuing the Jan Lok Pal bill first and would later take up electoral reforms.... In many countries, there is also an option of Right to Reject (candidate) and we are studying it."

On propriety of sending cheque of Rs 9 lakh towards settlement of his salary dues to income tax department to the Prime Minister's Office, the former IRS officer said since it was processed by the PMO, he sent the cheque there.