Re: [IAC++] Fwd: Maganbhai: Shivendra Singh Chauhan's letter 26.May.2012

Dear Krishnan

Your words are exactly describe what I have been feeling so many days. Nobody is listening to us who have build up the movement and sacrifce so much.

2 times I also face  the insults from person close to Arvindbhai and Manishbhai, but I keep my feeling inside me only because I think that they are decent persons but pictures of manishbhai which all the IAC coordinator got 2 days are too bad. Now the test for Arvind and prashanthji. if Manish still in party we are supporting Anna ji only

Maganbhai
IAC Rajkot

On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 7:08 PM, Venkatanarayan Krishnan <vn.krishnan@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear friends,

I have been watching quite bemusedly at various happenings on this forum and this mail about Shivendra was the last straw and I decided to break my self-imposed silence.

I have to say that it is time that we all step back and allow dignity to be the first point of reference in our mails. All the name callings are hurting us a lot much more than what you can imagine. I haven't heard of Ajay Dixit anywhere prior to the starting of this mailing list of IAC-HQ. I however, don't have much to his antecedents. However, the kind of vituperative language that is being used by some of his friends, makes me wonder about the intent of (t)his list.

First of all, in my firm belief, I think Arvind Kejriwal is not the ghoul that many of many have made him to be. I have a lot of differences in thoughts about the way that the movement or the political party is going forward, but to call him names is the biggest disservice that we can do ourselves. He is a brilliant scholar; erudite and most importantly has a passion for the welfare of our nation that cannot be matched by many. Also, no one can question the fact that he was among the pioneers and lynchpin of this movement right from the beginning.

Notwithstanding what I believe about Arvind Kejriwal, I think the way the movement was conducted earlier or and the way that it metamorphosed into a political party is not to my liking. What Shivendra Chauhan had written earlier to Arvind Kejriwal is nothing new and was published back in Feb / March this year. I find that many of the points that Shiv had written quite valid and definitely deserves a point by point answer. To my knowledge this answer has not come as yet.

I think the gravest mistake that the movement made was not to organize itself so that it can be effective. Except for a few places (Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore) the movement didn't have any structure. Anytime that we had made an attempt to organize ourselves, it was met with silence from the Delhi Team. The so-called "team Anna" was a cocoon which was securely and zealously guarded and none was allowed into the core-team. I had a terrible experience when I went to Ralegan Siddhi last September after being invited by none other than Arvind Kejriwal. I was asked to sit out of "important" meetings. If this is how they could treat me, - a core-volunteer from Chennai, who had been active from the beginning (last week of January 2011 when this movement had no traction), been the person who quit my job for the sake of the movement, then I don't know how different or inclusive this movement / core-group is. I remained silent not bothered about the slight for the sake of "unity". But things went from bad to worse continually. No communication, no mechanisms to take suggestions, no clarity of actions or thoughts. Right up to the point where the decision to form a political party was taken.

I do not see any change in this pattern even now. If it is expected that millions of volunteers should come on the street and they are not given any briefing on what is happening and why it is happening, do you expect the persons to come out? Sorry, I don't see that as a sustainable way of running a movement much less a political party. By preappointing all representatives without any clear definition, parameter that is transparent, the idea that we can be a movement or party with difference is bellied. If we are not even able to transparently see how or who is elected to represent us, can we ever dream of achieving the goal of being "aam-admi" party where the people decide the policies. A pipe dream at best.

Talking about the political party, can anyone from the Team Arvind explain what is happening and where we are as far as strategies or brainstorming meetings are concerned? Silence yet again. There was a "closed door" meeting of some people that happened last month in Delhi and not a whisper about it to the volunteers of IAC. A classic case of "We decide you follow". 

When Mr. Yogendra Yadav came on a visit to Chennai after the announcement of the political party formation, he parleyed with a group of people from Tamilnadu, who were nowhere near the movement when we were sweating our blood out on the streets, at the police station, in front of the gates of P. Chidambaram and other political bigwigs. After the closed door meeting with some arbitrary TN group, as an afterthought Mr. Yadav met with some volunteers. Hardly an inclusive formation. 

Recently, Mr. Prashanth Bhushan came to Chennai and addressed a group of volunteers. The lack of communication was communicated to him and he said that the Chennai team should call all the active volunteers and have an election to see who will represent Chennai. Unfortunately, soon after this generous offer from Mr. Bhushan, I believe that the Delhi team has unilaterally selected a group of people to represent Chennai (and Tamilnadu) and the beauty is that this is not announced officially as usual and from what I hear from Grapevine, the list contains people who had nothing to do with the movement all this while.

So essentially, after the thought of the political party came about, the drift from IAC was deliberate. So the team Arvind can do everyone a favour and call this as Team Arvind's party and not use the name IAC even in the interim. I don't see magnanimity in the offer of Arvind not to use IAC's name or Annaji's name for the party, it was practical necessity. I would however, gently plead that this drift be announced very categorically so that unnecessary confusion and heartburn can be avoided.

I do not bear any grudge against anyone especially people like Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Shri Prashanth Bhushan whose personal integrity is very difficult to question. However, I think that as the leaders of the erstwhile IAC, they owe me, and the multitudes like me, an answer to the mess that we are in. For the efforts that we put in for the same cause that they fought for, with passion that is nothing less than theirs, don't we deserver an answer?

I hope that some of the "Core-team" members condescend to reply to my doubts.

Sincerely,

Venkat

On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 10:31 AM, krishna oilmill <krishnaoilmil05@gmail.com> wrote:

All friends
please be carefull

This Ajay Dixit is really Shivendra Singh Chauhan who is having some fight with Arvind Kejriwal.

See his letter below.

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From: Praful Vora <pr..@gmail.com>
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