Hazare follower questions Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘flip-flops’

Former colleagues’ growing unease with Arvind Kejriwal and the direction the anti-graft movement has taken came to the fore again on Sunday. HT reports. Kejriwal invites Sonia, Rahul for public debate

Former colleagues’ growing unease with Arvind Kejriwal and the direction the anti-graft movement has taken came to the fore again Sunday, when an Anna Hazare supporter accused him of constantly changing stance and using the campaign for personal gains.

Annie Kohli, 60, a Mumbai resident who participated in the India Against Corruption protests in 2011, and few others barged into a press conference called by Kejriwal in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, and started shouting slogans against him and his team.

Kejriwal had called the media to condemn police action against his supporters who were earlier prevented from entering Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s Delhi residence at Pandit Pant Marg. They were protesting the alleged Robert Vadra-DLF-Haryana government nexus.

As Kejriwal paraded some of the injured, Kohli accused him and his team of changing position on various issues. She said Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were using the anti-graft movement for their personal gains.

Kejriwal said he didn't know Kohli and was meeting her for the first time. He refuted the charge of changing stance and said in fact it was "changing strategy as needed".

Earlier in the day, police used water cannons to disperse IAC members from Haryana, who breached police barricade near Hooda's residence. Several of them were detained and later released.

India Against Corruption took shape in November 2010. Kejriwal was among its first 10 members who then roped in the mascot of the agitation, Anna Hazare. With Anna and Kejriwal, who on October 2 launched a yet-to-be-named political party, parting ways, there is a dispute on who will keep the IAC banner.