Indian prize-winning author:

Arundhati Roy blasts India’s anti-corruption ‘saint’

INDIA: Indian Booker prize-winning author Arundhati Roy launched a scathing attack Monday on the “aggressive nationalism” behind the anti-corruption drive led by hunger-striking campaigner Anna Hazare.

In a column entitled “I’d rather not be Anna” published in The Hindu newspaper, the novelist, essayist and rights activist condemned both the style and substance of Hazare’s campaign that has mobilised public opinion in India.

In particular she questioned Hazare’s use of the hunger strike and other tactics and symbols co-opted from his hero — India’s independence icon Mahatma Gandhi.

“While his means may be Gandhian, Anna Hazare’s demands are certainly not,” Roy said.

The focus of Hazare’s protest is a new anti-corruption bill. AFP