The activist wrote to Singh saying he was taking the step in protest and it didn't mean he committed any mistake
The activist wrote to Singh saying he was taking the step in protest and it didn't mean he committed any mistake
Activist and Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday returned over nine lakh rupees in dues to settle the issue of his resignation from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). He, however, insisted he was doing so in protest and it does not mean he has accepted any mistake.
Arvind Kejriwal
Kejriwal sent a cheque of Rs 9,27,787 along with a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking him not to "trouble" his six friends, including Magsaysay winner Harish Hande, who had given him an interest-free loan to settle his dues.
Kejriwal has been sent notices by the Income Tax department which said he had violated the terms of his duty when he worked for IRS. In November 2000, he took study leave for two years ufffdhe was paid during this period.u00a0 In return, he was told that once he returned to work, he would owe the government three years of service.u00a0 However, the government says that in 2003, Kejriwal went on unpaid leave for two years.u00a0
He quit the IRS in 2006. The penalty of nine lakhs included interest on the salary that was paid to him during his study leave. In his four-page letter to Singh, he said, "I am enclosing a cheque for Rs 9,27,787. This does not mean that I have accepted the mistake. When I don't know what the mistake I committed was, then there is no question of accepting it."
Word to word
Kejriwal's move did not stop Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from taking a dig at him. "For Anna's Super Team. Na Khata na Bahi. Jo Kejriwal kahe woh sahi!" (No accounts, no books, whatever Kejriwal says is right), he said on a popular micro-blogging site.
Anna is here
Anna Hazare reached Delhi yesterday night to attend a meeting of the Standing Committee on the issue of the Lokpal Bill on Friday, ahead of which he is expected to end his maun vrat (vow of silence) observed for the past 19 days. Hazare will go to Rajghat on Friday morning and after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, he is expected to break his silence, Team Anna sources said.
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