Am I Still a Fan of Anna Hazare? I Don't Know

I am an admirer of Anna Hazare, indeed, till I read this article by Hartosh Bal.Now I am not too sure.

This is a perfect example of how the Anna Hazare movement has been operating for a while. There is little confusion about what Anna Hazare means: when he says "hang them", he means "hang them"; when he says "cut their hands off", he means "cut their hands off". Kiran Bedi did interject to put a palatable spin on these words, but what she said was clearly not what Anna meant. The accompanying profile in this issue clearly shows these words are in keeping with his past. As a result of Anna's reformist zeal, the people of his native village Ralegan Siddhi have witnessed the public flogging of those who dare to drink, a ban on all intoxicants, and restrictions on cable TV. It does not take much to see how closely this resembles the ideals of the Taliban, especially if you factor in the idea of a few hands being chopped off. Which is why it is no surprise that the sympathy he has long displayed for the Hindu Right has culminated in his endorsement of Narendra Modi.

If all this is true (I don't know about that) then Hazare turns out to be not a non-violent Gandhian. So where does that leave a till now ardent admirer like this blogger. I was there at Azad Maidan where people gathered to support his movement. Again, I don't know.