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There should be an independent probe into three multi-billion scams as revealed by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), key associates of veteran social activist and anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare voiced this demand on Friday. Stressing the need for an empowered, independent and anti-graft Lokpal, Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan demanded the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations made in the CAG report. Interacting with mediapersons in Ghaziabad , Bhishan said, “They (the Indian Government) should constitute an SIT since there is no Lokpal. It also shows why they are not enacting a Lokpal. It also reflects the utmost need for a Lokpal because who will investigate such cases.” Meanwhile Arvind Kejriwal asked Manmohan Singh to clarify his position, who had earlier announced to quit politics if any allegation was proved against him. "Prime Minister had said that he would quit politics if any allegation was proven against him. Now, the Prime Minister should explain his position because the CAG has confirmed the allegations," Kejriwal said. Kejriwal claimed leaders and opposition parties ruling the states where the coal blocks were auctioned, also happened to be beneficiaries of the scam. "All the parties are involved in it. The state governments were part of the process. The state governments had recommended names of the companies. The state governments were opposed to auction. Many opposition parties are also involved," he added. In Surat , another associate of Hazare, Kiran Bedi, emphasised the need for an empowered and independent Lokpal to probe such cases. "We should wait to see whether it would be probed by an independent investigating body. What stand will opposition take? That is why we were demanding that everybody from Prime Minister to even clerk should be within the ambit of the Lokpal," Bedi said. Earlier in the day, in the report that was tabled in the Rajya Sabha, the CAG accused the government of allocating coal blocks, power projects and land for Delhi's flagship airport at a fraction of market prices, potentially costing the exchequer tens of billions of dollars in lost revenues. Later, cutting across party ideologies, a majority of the opposition outfits demanded an immediate explanation from beleaguered Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, particularly about one report that suggested private companies made windfall gains of about Rs. 1.86 lakh crore because of the under-priced sale of coal fields.

Team Anna wants SIT to probe Coalgate scam