Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Anna Flickers Like a Candle

Everyone knows about the "Pawar Slapgate" - the incident in which a citizen slapped Sharad Pawar in full public view. There is even a funny video on the slap- popularly known as the "Chamat Song"- which you can watch here.

When Anna Hazare was informed about the incident, he replied with a witty- even slightly acerbic- one-liner, "Ek hi mara kya? (Only one slap?)". The statement gained much mileage in the media, and some people pointed fingers at Anna for supporting violence against the politicians. Realizing his faux pas, Anna quickly backtracked and distanced himself from the comment.
(There was a very interesting article on this whole episode on firstpost, which you can read here)

Today, Anna has again done a somersault and justified his "Only one slap" remark on his blog. He has even justified the violence saying that if violence is for the betterment of the country then it is not wrong.
(Read the full report here)

I am not complaining against Anna for taking sides with the perpetrator of the slapgate incident (though personally I am against such acts). I do have a problem with his swaying back and forth on his views on the incident. He justifies, condemns and then justifies again. We need a leader who is more sure of his views, and doesn't surprise us with a new statement everyday.

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