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This Article is From Oct 21, 2012

Former India Against Corruption member confronts Arvind Kejriwal, drama at press meet

Former India Against Corruption member confronts Arvind Kejriwal, drama at press meet
Ghaziabad/New Delhi: High drama was witnessed at Arvind Kejriwal's press meet today when he was angrily confronted by a woman claiming to be a former India Against Corruption (IAC) volunteer and sharply questioned on his conduct.

The press conference was convened by Mr Kejriwal to condemn the action against his supporters who clashed with police when they were prevented from barging into the residence of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in New Delhi's Pandit Pant Marg to protest on Robert Vadra-DLF issue.

As he fielded questions and paraded some of the injured persons before the media in Ghaziabad after bringing them from a Delhi hospital, some protesters accompanying the elderly woman Annie Kohli shouted slogans and levelled allegations against Mr Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, saying they were using the anti-corruption movement for their own gains.

When the sloganeering continued, Mr Kejriwal said he will talk to the detractors and understand what their grievances were.

Soon after Mr Kejriwal wound up the press meet, Ms Kohli, who is based in Mumbai and who led the protesters, and others tried to enter the premises but were prevented by police.

Mr Kejriwal then came out and listened to Ms Kohli who asked him whether he was a revolutionary or a Gandhian or a politician.

"You speak with lots of affection but you are doing politics. You are using this as a ladder for your politics. Revolutionaries never ran away from sufferings. But for you, when the time came, you ran away," Ms Kohli, whom Mr Kejriwal said he does not know, alleged.

"You were on protest with disabled people on Salman Khurshid case. First you said, you will sit there till you get result. But after four days, you left the place saying now you will go to Farukkhabad. You have support in Delhi. You want to become a leader," she said.

When Mr Kejriwal intervened saying she can sit in Delhi when he goes to Farukkhabad, she said she is from Mumbai.

Ms Kohli also distributed a pamphlet in which she raised a question what his ideology was. "The independence struggle has two streams of protests. One the revolutionary path of Bhagat Singh and another that of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Which one do you follow? Once you answer this, I will raise another nine questions," she said in the pamphlet.

Ms Kohli alleged that she had tried to meet Mr Kejriwal at an airport recently but his associates prevented her from meeting him and pushed her.

She also levelled allegations against another IAC activist Mayank Gandhi.

When asked about Ms Kohli, Mr Kejriwal said, "I don't know her. No questions have been raised by her. What kind of questions she is raising? Every agitation has its own strategy." 

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