Govt taps into Maharashtra link,old Anna hand meets activist

Senior babu has handled situations earlier where Hazare had gone on fast or threatened to.

Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary Umesh Chandra Sarangi,who has held at least two meetings with Team Anna since last night amid reports that the Centre has initiated talks,shares a good rapport with the activist. He has handled several situations earlier where Hazare had gone on a fast or threatened to do so.

While Team Anna described the meetings as personal and maintained that no compromise formula was discussed,Sarangi is camping in Delhi. There has been criticism that the Centre had failed to rope in Maharashtra politicians and bureaucrats to deal with Hazare. Today,Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde,a former chief minister of the state,too offered to act as mediator if the Prime Minister wanted him to.

With his earlier postings in Agriculture,Animal Husbandry,Dairy Development and Fisheries,Registrar of Cooperative Societies and NABARD,Sarangi has had several interactions with Hazare in the past decade.

As Commissioner (Cooperation) & Registrar of Cooperative Societies between 2003-05,he had managed to convince Hazare to withdraw his indefinite hunger strike by promising effective implementation of the Right to Information Act,enactment of transfer laws,curbing of administrative delays and provision of more powers to gram sabhas.

Sarangi and current Maharashtra home minister R R Patil had intervened and assured Hazare that his demands would be met within six months,and Hazare had concluded his 10-day strike.

Maharashtra officials say that often Hazare has been convinced to break his fast following fruitful dialogue,even if his demands have not been met. We have always found him ready for dialogue and discussion, said a senior bureaucrat.

A Congress minister in Maharashtra confirmed that Sarangi had been roped in as he had successfully defused many Hazare-led agitations. He knows how to convince Hazare, he said.

Who is Bhaiyyuji Maharaj

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Born Uday Singh Deshmukh in Shujalpur,his followers call him Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. The 43-year-old has a large following in Maharashtra,where politicians and the powerful make it a point to seek his blessings. He also has some following in Madhya Pradesh but draws his strength from Maharashtra. He started Shri Sadguru Datta Dharmik Evam Parmarthik Trust in Indore in 1991. Before that he was working as a marketing professional. He is married and has a daughter. The trust now has several branches in both the states running spiritual,development,agriculture and educational activities. A follower of Nath Panth,he is a devotee of Lord Dattatraya.