Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has responded with a tone of injured innocence to Team Anna’s direct charge accusing him of having “abused his position to give huge pecuniary benefits to private parties” in the allotment of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009. Singh has offered to withdraw from public life if the allegations made against him are proved. “It is unfortunate,” he said, “that irresponsible allegations relating to irregularities in allocation of coal blocks are being made without confirming facts.”