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Hazare called Kejriwal, Bedi, Bhushan undemocratic: Ex-blogger

Last updated on: November 5, 2011 15:40 IST
Team Anna members Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan

Fresh controversy dogged Team Anna on Saturday as Anna Hazare's former blogger made public a blog, which was kept under wraps to blunt the Gandhian's claim that he had not spoken to him about re-organising his core team.

Blogger Raju Parulekar, a journalist, also claimed that the Gandhian wanted to remove "undemocratic and fascist" Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan and "their pawns" from his core group.

The fall-out between Hazare and Parulekar came as the former claimed that he never ever spoke to the journalist or met him on the issue of re-structuring of the core committee and forming a new Pan-Indian organisation with immediate effect.

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Blog not signed by me, will shut it: Hazare

Last updated on: November 5, 2011 15:40 IST

Parulekar posted his version as well as an unpublished blog by Hazare in Marathi along with its English translation in the Gandhian's blog on Saturday morning, claiming that he had not uploaded an order dictated by Hazare after October 30 following a core committee meeting asking to hold core team.

However, Hazare said the blog put up by Parulekar as not signed by him. He also said that he will shut the blog.

The blogger had told media that Hazare wanted to reorganise his team and wanted to form a pan-India organisation, a claim denied by the Gandhian.

"I am thinking on the lines of restructuring the core committee. I am hereby informing all the members of Team Anna," Hazare said in the unpublished blog.

Parulekar said, "I am saying again and again Annaji was fed up with the core team and especially these four members (though he won't say this in public as he is decent enough) wanted to re-structure core team and build Pan-Indian organisation," he claimed.

Hazare 'spontaneously' wrote blog: Parulekar

Last updated on: November 5, 2011 15:40 IST
A screen grab of Hazare's blog

Parulekar said Hazare "spontaneously" wrote the blog on restructuring the team on October 23 afternoon "when he made up his mind to get away from Kejriwal, Bedi and Bhushan and their pawns in the core committee".

"Sureshbhau Pathare (Hazare's close aide) was present there. He tried to stop Annaji but Annaji was unstoppable. Then Sureshbhau requested me not to upload Annaji's this particular blog at least immediately."

Alleging that Kejriwal and others manipulated Kumar Vishwas' letter on disbanding core committee, he said after Team Anna left Ralegan Siddhi on October 30, "Anna asked me to stay back and in one-to-one close door meeting he signed an order to hold core team and asked me to put on blog which I haven't uploaded that order yet."

"How Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Bedi were so undemocratic, fascist and disrespect Annaji's thought and thrust their so-called Core Committee meeting on Annaji and overpowered me when I fought back for Annaji because Annaji is fragile, his blood pressure is fluctuating and is unwell.

'Representing 120 cr Indians without transparency is paradox'

Last updated on: November 5, 2011 15:40 IST

"Dr Dharmadhikari was present there. He told me to take care of Annaji as he is weak. Dr Dharmadhikari suggested me that Annaji should be kept happy. So to avoid stress and strain I kept aside Annaji's document," Parulekar said.

Parulekar said he was not happy in talking about this issue "but analogy of three or four representing 120 crore Indians with non-transparency and undemocratic behaviour is itself a paradox when Annaji is fighting against neo-feudalism, monarchy and democratic rights of every Indian."

They will have to fight this battle of anti-corruption for Hazare without taking in to consideration a self-proclaimed group of 25 members undemocratically and unconstitutionally on the streets of India, Parulekar said.

He also alleged that a senior journalist who defamed him on TV should apologise for threatening him indirectly. "He challenged my honesty and integrity which I had kept intact in my 17 years of my life in media," he said.

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