Anna Hazare- When the Gandhian talked violence

Anna Hazare, a self-proclaimed Gandhian, does not always walk the talk. In fact, he has on several occasions created controversies by digressing from the Gandhian ideology and condoning violence.

"When a man's power of tolerance runs out, then whoever is in front of you, if a slap is given, then the brain is put back in place. That is the only road open now", the 74-year-old Gandhian told reporters after watching the Hindi film Gali Gali Chor Hai based on the common man's fight against corruption.

"He (alcoholics in village) would be tied and then beaten. Not a lot, a little bit. By tying him up he is also being shamed. But we did this for his own good," Anna Hazare said in an interview to NDTV. Anna Hazare revealed that alcoholics in Ralegan Siddhi were often tied up and beaten in order to shame them and discourage the habit of consuming alcohol.
"He got slapped! Only one slap?" Anna said to a group of journalists after Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was slapped. Sharad Pawar was slapped by a man at the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) centre in New Delhi. The attacker, identified as Harvinder Singh, reportedly blamed Mr Pawar for rising prices of essential commodities.
"In the recent past, Shri Hazare by supporting the physical assault on me at a public function has given a new definition to the concept of Gandhism and non-violence," Sharad Pawar said reacting to Anna Hazare's comments about him being slapped at a public function.

"There is nothing Gandhian about violence. It is a contradiction in terms. If you are Gandhian, then I think the first premise of being a Gandhian is your commitment to non-violence," Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari also joined in to condemn Anna's statement on Sharad Pawar.