New Delhi: Seeking to put Team Anna members
on the back foot, the Gandhian`s former blogger Raju Parulekar
has accused a `gang of four` in Anna Hazare`s core team of
using the activist as a demi-god to further their interests
and hold government to "ransom".
Parulekar, who fell out with Hazare after the latter
publicly snubbed him on the issue of restructuring of Core
Committee, alleged that Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal,
Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan and Manish Sisodia had "free
reigns" and had free run in media by becoming "experts" on
various subjects which gave them also the "stature of being
virtuous and demi-gods".
He sought answers from Hazare as to who "pressurised" him
not to show the door to Bhushan from the Core team for his
controversial comments on plebiscite in Kashmir, saying who
will understand the legal loopholes in the bill and whether he
was aware of the financial transactions of Kejriwal and
Sisodia and their "ambitions".
He also questioned the entire Jan Lokpal bill movement in
his blog posting late last night to put his side of the story
claiming that he had not manipulated Hazare`s blog postings.
He said the "disillusioned" countrymen have misled to
believe that this self-centered movement will "create heaven
for them" and a stricter Janlokpal Bill (law) can abolish more
than 50 per cent of corruption from their life.
"...truth lies somewhere else," he said, adding "this
bunch of 20-plus people and `gang of four` among them take the
country for a ride and hold the government for ransom...are we
going to place our country in the hands of these four-five
people and their salaried gang members? "
"How difficult will it be for the agitation to sustain
and pull ahead alone on Anna Hazares moral strength Which
direction it is heading to. Are any of us Indians familiar
with the other members of Team Anna except for Bhushan
father-son-duo, Bedi, Sisodia and Kejriwal? Who has selected
these 21 people to represent the 120 crore people in India?"
he asked. The only difference between parties and Team Anna was the
moral authority wielded by Hazare because of which 20-plus
people including gang of four enjoy privilege of being
called patriots and whole political class bow at their feet
with "sheer guilt of their absolute corruption..."
Parulekar, who also released a letter he wrote but did
not sent to Hazare, said there is no movement on the ground to
bring systemic change and the present fight for Jan Lokpal
Bill if enacted will mean "another opportunity for
On the controversial letter by Hazare on restructuring
Team Anna which was made public by him, Parulekar said Hazare
has cast aspersions on his honesty and integrity but he felt
that it was not the Gandhian`s words but those of somebody
else, "dangerous, wicked, self-centered and in real-sense
enemy of the people of country called India."
He claimed that the October 30 meeting in Ralegan Siddhi
was stormy and Hazare contradicted Kejriwal and others.
"I have shown Annaji`s handwritten and signed letter for
re-structuring Team Anna to the trio. They were shaken but
remained arrogant. Kejriwal said, we Team Anna have decided
in Kosambi that the team will remain so hence the letter is
insignificant. He went on to claim that to re-structure. Team
Anna will harm Janlokpal issue. Annaji wrote on a piece of
paper, how come re-structuring and Janlokpal bill issue is
contradictory Annaji’s reaction was all the more explosive,"
Parulekar claimed that Bhushan mocked at Hazare asking
what he knew about Chinese history as he spoke about a `gang
of four` in government targeting Team Anna.
Parulekar also alleged that Kumar Vishwas` letter seeking
disbanding of the team was "orchestrated" by Kejriwal and
others. "The moment I announced to the media your plans of
bringing about changes in Team Anna at the earliest, Kumar
Vishwas suddenly appeared from Gaziabad and started reading
and explaining the letter that was meant to be a ?ecret," he
He also questioned why the donations for Hazare agitation
was deposited in the trust held jointly by Kejriwal and Manish
Sisodia and why it was were not deposited in Ralegansiddhi`s
"Swami Ramdev, Shri Shri, Medha Patkar, Rajendra Singhji
and even Hegde sahib distanced themselves from the movement.
Though they do not publicly disown the movement they are hurt
within which is absolutely visible," he claimed.