NAGPUR: Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare swears by Gandhism, and started his indefinite fast at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital only after paying obeisance to the Father of the Nation at Rajghat.
Hazare got huge public support from all over the country for his agitation, which is entering the second week now. However, some Gandhians of the city say that though they are very much in favour of the fight against corruption, they do not agree with Hazare's style of agitation. Several of them said that Anna's agitation was undemocratic, since it was trying to put undue pressure on the Parliamentary system of democracy.
Senior Gandhian from the city justice (retd) Chandrashekhar Dharmadhikari, known for his free-flowing speeches, was almost reticent when asked about his views on Anna's agitation and whether it was in keeping with the tenets of Gandhism.
Evasive about his views on the subject, Dharmadhikari said he recently had an eye operation in Mumbai and hence was unable to see television or find out what was happening around India! "I am happily detached from the world. Only after the bandage is opened in the next few days will I be in a position to talk about the subject," he told TOI. He refused to either support or oppose Anna's agitation.
However, former vice chancellor of Nagpur University Haribhau Kedar was frank enough to say, "I totally support the cause Hazare is espousing but not his method of agitation." According to Kedar, Gandhiji was all for fighting against the system and not against individuals. However, Team Anna, he says, is clearly targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
"People around him - Arvind Kejriwal, Shanti Bhushan and Kiran Bedi - should know the Parliamentary process. Then, how can they dictate terms to Parliament by fixing a timetable and insisting that only their version of Lokpal Bill is perfect," asked Kedar. Team Anna is doing the right thing the wrong way, he sums up.
NU's head of the department of Gandhian Thought KS Bharti is, however, totally in favour of Anna. "He is on the right track and totally sincere in his approach." According to him Gandhiji had said that 'fast' was the last resort in the technique of Satyagraha. So, Anna is totally sticking to Gandhi's principles since he gave the government enough chance by engaging them in talks earlier, through a peace march and other peaceful weapons of protest, "If our representatives are not listening, Satyagraha is the right way to make them return to the right path," said Bharti.
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