Team Anna and Anna Hazare on Friday rejected as irrelevant a CBI probe ordered into irregularities in coal block allocations, saying it will give a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"We reject the referral of case by Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to CBI as it will give a clean chit to the prime minister. How can the CBI investigate a case when it reports to the prime minister? It is just a pretence," Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said here.
The activist group have stepped up their attack on the Prime Minister with leader Anna Hazare today declaring he's 'lost faith' in Manmohan Singh.
During his visit to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Hazare said one has to select persons having good character and send them to Parliament, then only the expected change will take place.
"I had a strong belief in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but now I do not have faith in him," Hazare said.
On the Central Vigilance Commission decision to refer alleged irregularities by some private companies with regard to coal bloc allocation to CBI, he said, "CBI is under government. What will CBI investigate? A third party should investigate."
The Agency has been asked to investigate the alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks to public and private companies. Team Anna has questioned the role of Manmohan Singh in the suspected scam.
The prime minister held the coal portfolio from November 2006 to May 2009.
According to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), mining rights for coal blocks were allocated without auctioning them and this led to massive profits for chosen private firms.
Team Anna last week clubbed the Prime Minister with 14 other Union Ministers whom they alleged were corrupt and demanded a probe by a panel of retired judges who are honest.
Hazare had earlier sought to distance himself from his team's efforts to target Singh and described him as an honest man. He had said he would like to see documents regarding allegations against him before talking about Singh.
But Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal maintains a CBI probe was meant to give a clean chit to the Prime Minister.
"The CBI is under the government. Here the Prime Minister is accused. How will the CBI investigate the Prime Minister? It is laughable, it is an eye-wash. We know the outcome of this probe. It will say that the Prime Minister has not done anything wrong. It will give a clean chit to Singh," he said.