Team Anna attacks key ministers

They attacked Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid.

Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan first attacked Pawar, accusing him of having connections with gangsters.

"He lobbied for Pappu Kalani to get him an election ticket," said Bhushan.

Kalani is a former legislator from Maharashtra with several criminal cases against him.

"He (Pawar) also got pulses imported at higher rates and sold them at even higher prices," said Bhushan.

He also alleged that Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, also a member of parliament, had shares in the controversial Lavasa housing project in Maharashtra.

He then blamed S.M. Krishna for the rise of the coal mafia in Karnataka.

It was alleged that Kamal Nath exporting rice to African nations at exorbitant prices during his tenure as commerce minister.

"Ghana had written a letter to the government saying that rice which was to be sold cheap was sold at much higher prices. However, no enquiry was done," said Bhushan.

The Team Anna member also targetted Khurshid and said that "he tried to protect the fictitious companies which tried the get the telecom spectrum in 2G scam".

Bhushan also accused Deshmukh of having a role in the Adarsh housing society scam in Mumbai.

"The flats in the society, which was built for widows of army officers, were given to ministers' relatives and other people. He had a role in it but nothing has been done against him," Bhushan said.

Earlier, on the second day of Team Anna's indefinite fast against corruption at Jantar Mantar there was thin crowd and key leaders of the movement were missing in the morning.

Anna aide Arvind Kejriwal was missing from the stage. An activist said he had gone to Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh to appear before a court which had sent a notice to him on a complaint seeking his prosecution for his alleged offensive remarks against MPs.