CHANDIGARH, Punjab—Kiran Bedi, former officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and a close ally of Anna Hazare, has revealed her Hindutavi face by admitting that she supports Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a right wing Hindu political party.
In a interview broadcast by Channel PTC, she said that she would not join BJP, but she reiterated her desire to see Modi as Prime Minster (PM). A Hindu nationalist, she favors Rashtrya Swaym Sewak Sangh (RSS), mentor of the BJP.
After her break up with Arvind Kejriwal, and Parshant Bhushan, like other anti-graft crusaders, she is harshly critical of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), because of its threat to the BJP, and RSS.
Strongly advocating Modi’s bid for PM, Kiran Bedi stated, “Modi has proved his administrative capabilities in Gujrat, so he should be given the reigns of the nation for its overall development.”
Supporting a specific candidate does not necessarily mean that you are also endorsing their ideology. Support can often be issue specific. If one is to go by the rationale of this article, then anyone voting for the Republican party in the United States can be categorized as a proponent of WASP neo-conservative exceptionalism. Mrs. Bedi has simply endorsed Modi for his development record in Gujrat which she feels can be replicated throughout India. To label her as a pro-hindutva based on this is overly presumptuous as well as misleading. Having said that, I would like to add that I am not a supporter of Narendra Modi, as a reader, I am merely pointing out a flaw in this article.