Strange defence of Kiran Bedi - Surya Prakash
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Abhishek Joshi
Nov 1, 2011, 7:34:34 AM11/1/11
to
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/strange-defence-of-kiran-bedi.html
MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2011 23:52 A SURYA PRAKASH
Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption can lose its sheen after revelations of unethical conduct by a key team member. He should take decisive action, now.
Anna Hazare’s tirade against the “gang of four” in the Union Government, which is resorting to every conceivable trick to run down his team and the anti-corruption movement, is understandable. In fact, the ‘dirty tricks department’ of the Government has been working overtime ever since he launched his first satyagraha at Jantar Mantar last April. We are all aware of it. It is the uncanny ability of ordinary people to discern such invidious moves by the Government that has brought nation-wide support for the movement.
This massive public endorsement of Anna’s campaign is, however, subject to one condition: That Anna Hazare and his team work within the moral and ethical standards that they have laid down for those in politics and Government. Some recent events have left one wondering whether he is conscious of this. For example, his defence of Ms Kiran Bedi in regard to allegations which he describes as “air travel corruption” seems inexplicable.
The media has reported that in recent years Ms Bedi has been overcharging her hosts when seeking reimbursement of travel expenses. She would fly economy class but bill her sponsors executive class fares. A couple of dozen instances of such over-billing has been reported in the media. It has also been reported that she claimed a 75 per cent rebate on Air India tickets as a gallantry award winner but charged the institutions that invited her the full fare.
Ms Bedi’s first reaction was that she had done no wrong. The difference in fare — the excess amounts collected — went into the coffers of India Vision Foundation, her NGO, and not into her pocket. Secondly, it was even argued that she suffered the discomfort of travelling a class lower just so that her NGO got some funds for the noble work it was doing. But these explanations did not seem credible when a couple of organisations which had invited her told the media that they were unaware of the fact that Ms Bedi was not travelling by the class for which they had made payments. Her stand became even more untenable when Mr JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India, and retired Justice Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta of Karnataka, publicly declared that they saw no merit in her arguments.
Ms Bedi’s stubborn defence of her conduct has put off many Anna supporters. Realising that the tide was going against her, Ms Bedi announced that her trust had held a meeting and ‘directed’ her to henceforth travel “strictly as per invite”. Ms Bedi probably thought that this would silence her critics, but that was not to be because it only raised fresh questions. First, do you need such a firman from somebody to be honest while raising travel bills? Second, if indeed this was a legitimate way of raising funds, why did members of her trust direct her to return the excess amounts collected from her sponsors? It was a contrived and half-hearted attempt to retrieve ground.
Finally, when all this failed, Ms Bedi made a grand announcement that all the organisations which were over-charged for her travel would be reimbursed and that the travel agency that handled her ticketing had been directed to do so. These statements also led to fresh questions. If, as Ms Bedi claimed, she had done no wrong, why was she now ready to return the over-billed amounts to these organisations? Further, her claim that the travel agent would return the excess sums to these organisations implied that he — and not Ms Bedi — was over-billing her sponsors. The travel agency in question has promptly challenged this claim and said it only billed the NGO for the tickets it bought on Ms Bedi’s behalf and not for anything else. Watch this space for the next round of explanations from Ms Bedi.
What can we conclude from this narration? Ms Bedi over-charged her sponsors when she travelled to attend events; when this was exposed by the media, she stoutly defended herself, but eventually announced that she would return the excess fare charged by her to her sponsors; members of her trust have “directed” her not to over-charge sponsors in future and to travel only in the class for which she billed them; and, finally, despite the facts, Ms Bedi sees no need to apologise for what she has done.
After all this, we have Anna Hazare going where angels fear to tread. He defends her on his blog and offers a disingenuous argument to shield her. He says, “She has time and again made it clear that if she has done such a thing and used the money for the benefit of her family then the Government should take help of one of its own inquiry agencies and, if she is found guilty, it should take stringent action against her”. But, Anna Hazare adds, the Government is not keen on taking such a step. All that it wants to do is “accuse and humiliate” members of his team. There is “a gang of four” within the Govern-ment which is opposed to the Jan Lok Pal Bill and which is out to discredit members of his team.
The question is not whether Ms Bedi used the money for her personal benefit or for her “family”. The question is one of propriety. If a person working in a Government or a private organisation were to generate such bogus travel bills and collect sums far in excess of the actual expenditure he or she would have been dismissed from service and even booked for cheating under the Indian Penal Code. Even MPs and Ministers who fudge their TA and DA bills are thrown out of office when they are caught in the act. In the UK several MPs have had to pay the price for presenting bogus receipts for reimbursements. The US House of Representatives reprimanded and fined its own Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, for misusing tax-exempt funds. It is, therefore, rather pathetic to see Anna Hazare rush to Ms Bedi’s defence in the light of incriminating evidence of bogus travel bills.
Millions of citizens have invested in ‘Brand Anna’ in the fond hope of fighting corruption at various levels. The veteran social activist’s defence of Ms Bedi amounts to betraying the primary stake-holders in ‘Brand Anna’. He must be wary of the company he keeps and the causes he espouses. Since he wants to cleanse the system, he must demand exacting standards from those who surround him. In short, he must set his house in order.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/pioneer-news/edit/17024-strange-defence-of-kiran-bedi.html?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=
1.11.11
Strange defence of Kiran Bedi
MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2011 23:52 A SURYA PRAKASH
Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption can lose its sheen after revelations of unethical conduct by a key team member. He should take decisive action, now.
Anna Hazare’s tirade against the “gang of four” in the Union Government, which is resorting to every conceivable trick to run down his team and the anti-corruption movement, is understandable. In fact, the ‘dirty tricks department’ of the Government has been working overtime ever since he launched his first satyagraha at Jantar Mantar last April. We are all aware of it. It is the uncanny ability of ordinary people to discern such invidious moves by the Government that has brought nation-wide support for the movement.
This massive public endorsement of Anna’s campaign is, however, subject to one condition: That Anna Hazare and his team work within the moral and ethical standards that they have laid down for those in politics and Government. Some recent events have left one wondering whether he is conscious of this. For example, his defence of Ms Kiran Bedi in regard to allegations which he describes as “air travel corruption” seems inexplicable.
The media has reported that in recent years Ms Bedi has been overcharging her hosts when seeking reimbursement of travel expenses. She would fly economy class but bill her sponsors executive class fares. A couple of dozen instances of such over-billing has been reported in the media. It has also been reported that she claimed a 75 per cent rebate on Air India tickets as a gallantry award winner but charged the institutions that invited her the full fare.
Ms Bedi’s first reaction was that she had done no wrong. The difference in fare — the excess amounts collected — went into the coffers of India Vision Foundation, her NGO, and not into her pocket. Secondly, it was even argued that she suffered the discomfort of travelling a class lower just so that her NGO got some funds for the noble work it was doing. But these explanations did not seem credible when a couple of organisations which had invited her told the media that they were unaware of the fact that Ms Bedi was not travelling by the class for which they had made payments. Her stand became even more untenable when Mr JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India, and retired Justice Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta of Karnataka, publicly declared that they saw no merit in her arguments.
Ms Bedi’s stubborn defence of her conduct has put off many Anna supporters. Realising that the tide was going against her, Ms Bedi announced that her trust had held a meeting and ‘directed’ her to henceforth travel “strictly as per invite”. Ms Bedi probably thought that this would silence her critics, but that was not to be because it only raised fresh questions. First, do you need such a firman from somebody to be honest while raising travel bills? Second, if indeed this was a legitimate way of raising funds, why did members of her trust direct her to return the excess amounts collected from her sponsors? It was a contrived and half-hearted attempt to retrieve ground.
Finally, when all this failed, Ms Bedi made a grand announcement that all the organisations which were over-charged for her travel would be reimbursed and that the travel agency that handled her ticketing had been directed to do so. These statements also led to fresh questions. If, as Ms Bedi claimed, she had done no wrong, why was she now ready to return the over-billed amounts to these organisations? Further, her claim that the travel agent would return the excess sums to these organisations implied that he — and not Ms Bedi — was over-billing her sponsors. The travel agency in question has promptly challenged this claim and said it only billed the NGO for the tickets it bought on Ms Bedi’s behalf and not for anything else. Watch this space for the next round of explanations from Ms Bedi.
What can we conclude from this narration? Ms Bedi over-charged her sponsors when she travelled to attend events; when this was exposed by the media, she stoutly defended herself, but eventually announced that she would return the excess fare charged by her to her sponsors; members of her trust have “directed” her not to over-charge sponsors in future and to travel only in the class for which she billed them; and, finally, despite the facts, Ms Bedi sees no need to apologise for what she has done.
After all this, we have Anna Hazare going where angels fear to tread. He defends her on his blog and offers a disingenuous argument to shield her. He says, “She has time and again made it clear that if she has done such a thing and used the money for the benefit of her family then the Government should take help of one of its own inquiry agencies and, if she is found guilty, it should take stringent action against her”. But, Anna Hazare adds, the Government is not keen on taking such a step. All that it wants to do is “accuse and humiliate” members of his team. There is “a gang of four” within the Govern-ment which is opposed to the Jan Lok Pal Bill and which is out to discredit members of his team.
The question is not whether Ms Bedi used the money for her personal benefit or for her “family”. The question is one of propriety. If a person working in a Government or a private organisation were to generate such bogus travel bills and collect sums far in excess of the actual expenditure he or she would have been dismissed from service and even booked for cheating under the Indian Penal Code. Even MPs and Ministers who fudge their TA and DA bills are thrown out of office when they are caught in the act. In the UK several MPs have had to pay the price for presenting bogus receipts for reimbursements. The US House of Representatives reprimanded and fined its own Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, for misusing tax-exempt funds. It is, therefore, rather pathetic to see Anna Hazare rush to Ms Bedi’s defence in the light of incriminating evidence of bogus travel bills.
Millions of citizens have invested in ‘Brand Anna’ in the fond hope of fighting corruption at various levels. The veteran social activist’s defence of Ms Bedi amounts to betraying the primary stake-holders in ‘Brand Anna’. He must be wary of the company he keeps and the causes he espouses. Since he wants to cleanse the system, he must demand exacting standards from those who surround him. In short, he must set his house in order.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/pioneer-news/edit/17024-strange-defence-of-kiran-bedi.html?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=
Kalyanaraman
Member, Action Committee Against Corruption in India (ACACI)
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 2, 2011, 10:36:27 AM11/2/11
to Youth for Democracy
Mr A Surya Prakash happened to be a rare, conscientious elder whom I
used to look up to while working as a member of The Pioneer's
editorial team. I tended to agree with most of his observations; this
article is no exception.
On Nov 1, 4:34 pm, Abhishek Joshi <abhishek.ar.jo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/strange-defence-of-kiran-b...
> http://www.dailypioneer.com/pioneer-news/edit/17024-strange-defence-o...
used to look up to while working as a member of The Pioneer's
editorial team. I tended to agree with most of his observations; this
article is no exception.
On Nov 1, 4:34 pm, Abhishek Joshi <abhishek.ar.jo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/strange-defence-of-kiran-b...
>
> 1.11.11
> Strange defence of Kiran Bedi
>
> <http://dailypioneer.com/images/stories/Columnist/untitled-1%20copy.jpg>
> 1.11.11
> Strange defence of Kiran Bedi
>
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 1:29:20 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Amit,
The BJP and its supporters are better advised not to ride piggyback on
the partial success of the Anna-led campaign, and think of an
effective campaign of their own. For one, you should think of
countering elements in the Congress like Digvijaya Singh. If he says
Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying his party
could well be Congress by proxy? If not, what explains Anna's April
campaign ending in a farce and August campaign ending in a compromise,
with the former Indian Army driver agreeing to end his fast following
persuasion by a thoroughly corrupt Vilasrao Deshmukh tainted by the
Adarsh Housing Society scam?
The BJP and its supporters are better advised not to ride piggyback on
the partial success of the Anna-led campaign, and think of an
effective campaign of their own. For one, you should think of
countering elements in the Congress like Digvijaya Singh. If he says
Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying his party
could well be Congress by proxy? If not, what explains Anna's April
campaign ending in a farce and August campaign ending in a compromise,
with the former Indian Army driver agreeing to end his fast following
persuasion by a thoroughly corrupt Vilasrao Deshmukh tainted by the
Adarsh Housing Society scam?
Mukul Kanitkar
Nov 3, 2011, 1:56:37 AM11/3/11
to youth4d...@googlegroups.com, SurajitDasgupta
What did Amit write? somehow I
have not received it.
-mukul
-mukul
On 11/3/2011 10:59 AM, SurajitDasgupta wrote:
Amit, The BJP and its supporters are better advised not to ride piggyback on the partial success of the Anna-led campaign, and think of an effective campaign of their own. For one, you should think of countering elements in the Congress like Digvijaya Singh. If he says Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying his party could well be Congress by proxy? If not, what explains Anna's April campaign ending in a farce and August campaign ending in a compromise, with the former Indian Army driver agreeing to end his fast following persuasion by a thoroughly corrupt Vilasrao Deshmukh tainted by the Adarsh Housing Society scam? On Nov 2, 7:36�pm, SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com> wrote:Mr A Surya Prakash happened to be a rare, conscientious elder whom I used to look up to while working as a member of The Pioneer's editorial team. I tended to agree with most of his observations; this article is no exception. On Nov 1, 4:34�pm, Abhishek Joshi <abhishek.ar.jo...@gmail.com> wrote:http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/strange-defence-of-kiran-b...1.11.11 �Strange defence of Kiran Bedi�<http://dailypioneer.com/images/stories/Columnist/untitled-1%20copy.jpg>
MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2011 23:52 A SURYA PRAKASHAnna Hazare's campaign against corruption can lose its sheen after revelations of unethical conduct by a key team member. He should take decisive action, now.
Anna Hazare�s tirade against the �gang of four� in the Union Government, which is resorting to every conceivable trick to run down his team and the anti-corruption movement, is understandable. In fact, the �dirty tricks department� of the Government has been working overtime ever since he launched his first satyagraha at Jantar Mantar last April. We are all aware of it. It is the uncanny ability of ordinary people to discern such invidious moves by the Government that has brought nation-wide support for the movement.This massive public endorsement of Anna�s campaign is, however, subject to one condition: That Anna Hazare and his team work within the moral and ethical standards that they have laid down for those in politics and Government. Some recent events have left one wondering whether he is conscious of this. For example, his defence of Ms Kiran Bedi in regard to allegations which he describes as �air travel corruption� seems inexplicable.
The media has reported that in recent years Ms Bedi has been overcharging her hosts when seeking reimbursement of travel expenses. She would fly economy class but bill her sponsors executive class fares. A couple of dozen instances of such over-billing has been reported in the media. It has also been reported that she claimed a 75 per cent rebate on Air India tickets as a gallantry award winner but charged the institutions that invited her the full fare.
Ms Bedi�s first reaction was that she had done no wrong. The difference in fare � the excess amounts collected � went into the coffers of India Vision Foundation, her NGO, and not into her pocket. Secondly, it was even argued that she suffered the discomfort of travelling a class lower just so that her NGO got some funds for the noble work it was doing. But these explanations did not seem credible when a couple of organisations which had invited her told the media that they were unaware of the fact that Ms Bedi was not travelling by the class for which they had made payments. Her stand became even more untenable when Mr JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India, and retired Justice Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta of Karnataka, publicly declared that they saw no merit in her arguments.Ms Bedi�s stubborn defence of her conduct has put off many Anna supporters. Realising that the tide was going against her, Ms Bedi announced that her trust had held a meeting and �directed� her to henceforth travel �strictly as per invite�. Ms Bedi probably thought that this would silence her critics, but that was not to be because it only raised fresh questions. First, do you need such a firman from somebody to be honest while raising travel bills? Second, if indeed this was a legitimate way of raising funds, why did members of her trust direct her to return the excess amounts collected from her sponsors? It was a contrived and half-hearted attempt to retrieve ground.Finally, when all this failed, Ms Bedi made a grand announcement that all the organisations which were over-charged for her travel would be reimbursed and that the travel agency that handled her ticketing had been directed to do so. These statements also led to fresh questions. If, as Ms Bedi claimed, she had done no wrong, why was she now ready to return the over-billed amounts to these organisations? Further, her claim that the travel agent would return the excess sums to these organisations implied that he � and not Ms Bedi � was over-billing her sponsors. The travel agency in question has promptly challenged this claim and said it only billed the NGO for the tickets it bought on Ms Bedi�s behalf and not for anything else. Watch this space for the next round of explanations from Ms Bedi.What can we conclude from this narration? Ms Bedi over-charged her sponsors when she travelled to attend events; when this was exposed by the media, she stoutly defended herself, but eventually announced that she would return the excess fare charged by her to her sponsors; members of her trust have �directed� her not to over-charge sponsors in future and to travel only in the class for which she billed them; and, finally, despite the facts, Ms Bedi sees no need to apologise for what she has done.After all this, we have Anna Hazare going where angels fear to tread. He defends her on his blog and offers a disingenuous argument to shield her. He says, �She has time and again made it clear that if she has done such a thing and used the money for the benefit of her family then the Government should take help of one of its own inquiry agencies and, if she is found guilty, it should take stringent action against her�. But, Anna Hazare adds, the Government is not keen on taking such a step. All that it wants to do is �accuse and humiliate� members of his team. There is �a gang of four� within the Govern-ment which is opposed to the Jan Lok Pal Bill and which is out to discredit members of his team.The question is not whether Ms Bedi used the money for her personal benefit or for her �family�. The question is one of propriety. If a person working in a Government or a private organisation were to generate such bogus travel bills and collect sums far in excess of the actual expenditure he or she would have been dismissed from service and even booked for cheating under the Indian Penal Code. Even MPs and Ministers who fudge their TA and DA bills are thrown out of office when they are caught in the act. In the UK several MPs have had to pay the price for presenting bogus receipts for reimbursements. The US House of Representatives reprimanded and fined its own Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, for misusing tax-exempt funds. It is, therefore, rather pathetic to see Anna Hazare rush to Ms Bedi�s defence in the light of incriminating evidence of bogus travel bills.Millions of citizens have invested in �Brand Anna� in the fond hope of fighting corruption at various levels. The veteran social activist�s defence of Ms Bedi amounts to betraying the primary stake-holders in �Brand Anna�. He must be wary of the company he keeps and the causes he espouses. Since he wants to cleanse the system, he must demand exacting standards from those who surround him. In short, he must set his house in order.
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 2:00:13 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Amit Chatterjee had written: "I am very sure it will not loose its
sheen by such microbial mishaps by Team Anna,Our Indian mass is too
blunt to understand such nuances and the people who understand those
nuances understand that these attacks on team Anna is a congress ploy
and Anna is anytime better bet than Congress..... i hope i sound
correct."
Amit is an activist of the BJP/RSS fold.
On Nov 3, 10:29 am, SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com>
wrote:
sheen by such microbial mishaps by Team Anna,Our Indian mass is too
blunt to understand such nuances and the people who understand those
nuances understand that these attacks on team Anna is a congress ploy
and Anna is anytime better bet than Congress..... i hope i sound
correct."
Amit is an activist of the BJP/RSS fold.
On Nov 3, 10:29 am, SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Amit Chatterjee
Nov 3, 2011, 2:02:34 AM11/3/11
to youth4d...@googlegroups.com
Yes, Anna breaking his fast with Vilasrao is akin to a butcher make a dove fly on world peace day !! Good point Surajit da.
--
Regards
www.amitchatterjee.tk
Amit
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Regards
www.amitchatterjee.tk
Bach of Commerce in Banking & Insurance - India
Msc in Advanced Management Practice - UK.
Msc in Advanced Management Practice - UK.
Mukul Kanitkar
Nov 3, 2011, 2:10:24 AM11/3/11
to youth4d...@googlegroups.com, SurajitDasgupta
BJP should attack the political
rivals directly. Advani's Rathyatra is receiving better response
that the organizers expected. Even in the Sourthern States it
attracted crowds. But he has not attacked the fountainhead of
corruption in UPA, its chairman. BJP failed to mount pressure on
PC after the Pranavda Chitthi. Any opposition would have been
successful in getting the Home Minister's resignation on the
basis of scope for fare investigations. They have even failed to
mount enough pressure on Sheila Dixit when many congressman are
ready to supply evidence. Even after the CAG and Lokayukta
report against Rajkumar Chauhan, minister in Delhi government,
there is no action taken by Congress. And surprisingly BJP's
attack is limited to some Dharnas in Delhi.
Anna and Baba are occupying the space left open by BJP.
-mukul
Anna and Baba are occupying the space left open by BJP.
-mukul
On 11/3/2011 10:59 AM, SurajitDasgupta wrote:
Amit, The BJP and its supporters are better advised not to ride piggyback on the partial success of the Anna-led campaign, and think of an effective campaign of their own. For one, you should think of countering elements in the Congress like Digvijaya Singh. If he says Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying his party could well be Congress by proxy? If not, what explains Anna's April campaign ending in a farce and August campaign ending in a compromise, with the former Indian Army driver agreeing to end his fast following persuasion by a thoroughly corrupt Vilasrao Deshmukh tainted by the Adarsh Housing Society scam? On Nov 2, 7:36�pm, SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com> wrote:Mr A Surya Prakash happened to be a rare, conscientious elder whom I used to look up to while working as a member of The Pioneer's editorial team. I tended to agree with most of his observations; this article is no exception. On Nov 1, 4:34�pm, Abhishek Joshi <abhishek.ar.jo...@gmail.com> wrote:http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/strange-defence-of-kiran-b...1.11.11 �Strange defence of Kiran Bedi�<http://dailypioneer.com/images/stories/Columnist/untitled-1%20copy.jpg>
MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2011 23:52 A SURYA PRAKASHAnna Hazare's campaign against corruption can lose its sheen after revelations of unethical conduct by a key team member. He should take decisive action, now.
Anna Hazare�s tirade against the �gang of four� in the Union Government, which is resorting to every conceivable trick to run down his team and the anti-corruption movement, is understandable. In fact, the �dirty tricks department� of the Government has been working overtime ever since he launched his first satyagraha at Jantar Mantar last April. We are all aware of it. It is the uncanny ability of ordinary people to discern such invidious moves by the Government that has brought nation-wide support for the movement.This massive public endorsement of Anna�s campaign is, however, subject to one condition: That Anna Hazare and his team work within the moral and ethical standards that they have laid down for those in politics and Government. Some recent events have left one wondering whether he is conscious of this. For example, his defence of Ms Kiran Bedi in regard to allegations which he describes as �air travel corruption� seems inexplicable.
The media has reported that in recent years Ms Bedi has been overcharging her hosts when seeking reimbursement of travel expenses. She would fly economy class but bill her sponsors executive class fares. A couple of dozen instances of such over-billing has been reported in the media. It has also been reported that she claimed a 75 per cent rebate on Air India tickets as a gallantry award winner but charged the institutions that invited her the full fare.
Ms Bedi�s first reaction was that she had done no wrong. The difference in fare � the excess amounts collected � went into the coffers of India Vision Foundation, her NGO, and not into her pocket. Secondly, it was even argued that she suffered the discomfort of travelling a class lower just so that her NGO got some funds for the noble work it was doing. But these explanations did not seem credible when a couple of organisations which had invited her told the media that they were unaware of the fact that Ms Bedi was not travelling by the class for which they had made payments. Her stand became even more untenable when Mr JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India, and retired Justice Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta of Karnataka, publicly declared that they saw no merit in her arguments.Ms Bedi�s stubborn defence of her conduct has put off many Anna supporters. Realising that the tide was going against her, Ms Bedi announced that her trust had held a meeting and �directed� her to henceforth travel �strictly as per invite�. Ms Bedi probably thought that this would silence her critics, but that was not to be because it only raised fresh questions. First, do you need such a firman from somebody to be honest while raising travel bills? Second, if indeed this was a legitimate way of raising funds, why did members of her trust direct her to return the excess amounts collected from her sponsors? It was a contrived and half-hearted attempt to retrieve ground.Finally, when all this failed, Ms Bedi made a grand announcement that all the organisations which were over-charged for her travel would be reimbursed and that the travel agency that handled her ticketing had been directed to do so. These statements also led to fresh questions. If, as Ms Bedi claimed, she had done no wrong, why was she now ready to return the over-billed amounts to these organisations? Further, her claim that the travel agent would return the excess sums to these organisations implied that he � and not Ms Bedi � was over-billing her sponsors. The travel agency in question has promptly challenged this claim and said it only billed the NGO for the tickets it bought on Ms Bedi�s behalf and not for anything else. Watch this space for the next round of explanations from Ms Bedi.What can we conclude from this narration? Ms Bedi over-charged her sponsors when she travelled to attend events; when this was exposed by the media, she stoutly defended herself, but eventually announced that she would return the excess fare charged by her to her sponsors; members of her trust have �directed� her not to over-charge sponsors in future and to travel only in the class for which she billed them; and, finally, despite the facts, Ms Bedi sees no need to apologise for what she has done.After all this, we have Anna Hazare going where angels fear to tread. He defends her on his blog and offers a disingenuous argument to shield her. He says, �She has time and again made it clear that if she has done such a thing and used the money for the benefit of her family then the Government should take help of one of its own inquiry agencies and, if she is found guilty, it should take stringent action against her�. But, Anna Hazare adds, the Government is not keen on taking such a step. All that it wants to do is �accuse and humiliate� members of his team. There is �a gang of four� within the Govern-ment which is opposed to the Jan Lok Pal Bill and which is out to discredit members of his team.The question is not whether Ms Bedi used the money for her personal benefit or for her �family�. The question is one of propriety. If a person working in a Government or a private organisation were to generate such bogus travel bills and collect sums far in excess of the actual expenditure he or she would have been dismissed from service and even booked for cheating under the Indian Penal Code. Even MPs and Ministers who fudge their TA and DA bills are thrown out of office when they are caught in the act. In the UK several MPs have had to pay the price for presenting bogus receipts for reimbursements. The US House of Representatives reprimanded and fined its own Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, for misusing tax-exempt funds. It is, therefore, rather pathetic to see Anna Hazare rush to Ms Bedi�s defence in the light of incriminating evidence of bogus travel bills.Millions of citizens have invested in �Brand Anna� in the fond hope of fighting corruption at various levels. The veteran social activist�s defence of Ms Bedi amounts to betraying the primary stake-holders in �Brand Anna�. He must be wary of the company he keeps and the causes he espouses. Since he wants to cleanse the system, he must demand exacting standards from those who surround him. In short, he must set his house in order.
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 2:10:57 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Typo:
Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying *the team*
wrote:
"If he says Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying
his party could well be Congress by proxy?" should read "If he says
Team Anna is 'BJP by proxy', what stops you from saying *the team*
could well be Congress by proxy?"
On Nov 3, 11:00 am, SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com>
wrote:
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 2:26:10 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Political observers are feeling increasingly that the Congress-BJP
rivalry is only for public consumption. From Brajesh Mishra's act of
bailing Rahul Gandhi out when he was detained by the FBI in September
2001 to the inability of the BJP to crack the Bofors case in the six
years when it led the NDA Government to Arun Jaitley's recent act of
pinning all the blame on Lalit Modi and rescuing the Congress-NCP
involvement in the IPL scam, the BJP does nothing legally to corner
the Congress. And the latter returns favour by not proceeding legally
against the alleged Centaur scam, VSNL scam, coffin scam, UTI scam,
petrol pump allotment scam, etc.
Each one only creates noises in the media -- not in courts of law --
against the other.
rivalry is only for public consumption. From Brajesh Mishra's act of
bailing Rahul Gandhi out when he was detained by the FBI in September
2001 to the inability of the BJP to crack the Bofors case in the six
years when it led the NDA Government to Arun Jaitley's recent act of
pinning all the blame on Lalit Modi and rescuing the Congress-NCP
involvement in the IPL scam, the BJP does nothing legally to corner
the Congress. And the latter returns favour by not proceeding legally
against the alleged Centaur scam, VSNL scam, coffin scam, UTI scam,
petrol pump allotment scam, etc.
Each one only creates noises in the media -- not in courts of law --
against the other.
rajarshi nandy
Nov 3, 2011, 4:34:21 AM11/3/11
to youth4d...@googlegroups.com
Indeed a very strange defence stance from Kiran Bedi. Infact, this just cannot be defended. Once the person loses moral ground, she will always remain a suspect. She should have come out clean and if needed apologized right at the beginning which is probably the only real damage control possible, when an anti-corruption crusader is accused of the crimes against which she is supposedly fighting.
-Rajarshi
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SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 4:51:51 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Indians are tolerant and accommodating. Why doesn't everybody in
public life issue an unconditional apology for all past mistakes?
On Nov 3, 1:34 pm, rajarshi nandy <rajarsh...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> Indeed a very strange defence stance from Kiran Bedi. Infact, this just cannot be defended. Once the person loses moral ground, she will always remain a suspect. She should have come out clean and if needed apologized right at the beginning which is probably the only real damage control possible, when an anti-corruption crusader is accused of the crimes against which she is supposedly fighting.
>
> -Rajarshi
>
> ________________________________
> From: SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com>
> ...
>
> read more »
public life issue an unconditional apology for all past mistakes?
On Nov 3, 1:34 pm, rajarshi nandy <rajarsh...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> Indeed a very strange defence stance from Kiran Bedi. Infact, this just cannot be defended. Once the person loses moral ground, she will always remain a suspect. She should have come out clean and if needed apologized right at the beginning which is probably the only real damage control possible, when an anti-corruption crusader is accused of the crimes against which she is supposedly fighting.
>
> -Rajarshi
>
> From: SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com>
>
> read more »
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 4:53:03 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Indians are tolerant and accommodating. Why doesn't everybody in
public life issue an unconditional apology for all past mistakes?
On Nov 3, 1:34 pm, rajarshi nandy <rajarsh...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
public life issue an unconditional apology for all past mistakes?
On Nov 3, 1:34 pm, rajarshi nandy <rajarsh...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> Indeed a very strange defence stance from Kiran Bedi. Infact, this just cannot be defended. Once the person loses moral ground, she will always remain a suspect. She should have come out clean and if needed apologized right at the beginning which is probably the only real damage control possible, when an anti-corruption crusader is accused of the crimes against which she is supposedly fighting.
>
> -Rajarshi
>
> ________________________________
>
> -Rajarshi
>
> From: SurajitDasgupta <dasgupta.sura...@gmail.com>
>
> read more »
nasir jawed
Nov 3, 2011, 4:57:43 AM11/3/11
to youth4d...@googlegroups.com
I think at this point the public needs to stand with the people who are fighting for them. Remember how Anna had declared war against all politicians regardless. This was expected.
What is Kiran Bedi's airfare overcharging compared to the thousands of crores loots by our politicians? Kiran Bedi has no family and neither is giving money to her relatives. And she is running NGOs. Then there should be no reason to suspect her reply. The govt was expected to try to malign team Anna. Anna maybe superhumanly incorruptible but the rest are mere mortals. And who are we to look down at Kiran Bedi when we too do it all the time and haven't done a fraction of what Kiran Bedi has done for the nation?
Please
don't be swayed by politician's malicious campaign against team Anna. Please clear your own heads and of other around you who are getting swayed.
"Print this mail only if absolutely necessary. Save Paper. Save Trees."
From: rajarshi nandy <rajar...@yahoo.co.in>
To: "youth4d...@googlegroups.com" <youth4d...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, 3 November 2011 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Y4D] Re: Strange defence of Kiran Bedi - Surya Prakash
From: rajarshi nandy <rajar...@yahoo.co.in>
To: "youth4d...@googlegroups.com" <youth4d...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, 3 November 2011 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Y4D] Re: Strange defence of Kiran Bedi - Surya Prakash
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to youth4democra...@googlegroups.com.
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 3, 2011, 5:31:16 AM11/3/11
to Youth for Democracy
Nasir,
This is not the first time an allegation against Kiran Bedi has
surfaced.
In 1992, Bedi's daughter was given admission for MBBS course in
Delhi's Hardinge College under a quota for students from the
Northeast.
In 1994, when she was the Inspector-General of Prisons of Tihar Jail,
the Supreme Court had reprimanded her for ignoring its directives for
providing medical attention to a foreign under-trial prisoner. She was
then given a lenient treatment in view of her Magsasay Award.
In 1988, the Wadhwa Commission criticised Bedi for her role in lathi-
charge on lawyers protesting against a colleague’s arrest outside her
office.
In 2007, Karan Thapar wrote a damning article questioning Bedi's
credentials, where he posed 10 serious questions about her track
record: "1. To begin with, you've received neither the Indian Police
Medal for Meritorious Service nor the President's Police Medal for
Distinguished Service. Given that these are routinely awarded after
completing a certain number of years of service, isn't your not
getting them proof that your record is neither meritorious nor
distinguished?
2. Secondly, is it true that on 4 separate occasions you failed to
complete your tenure and at least twice left your post without
permission which is tantamount to desertion of duty? (She didn't
complete her tenure as Superintendent of Police in Goa, DIG (Range) in
Mizoram, Inspector General (Prisons) Tihar Jail and Inspector General
of Police in Chandigarh. The posts that she left without permission
were Goa, in 1983, and Mizoram, in 1992. Speaking to the Sunday
Observer on the 27th September, 1992, she said of Mizoram: "I left
without asking". Her letter of 25th January,1984 to the Inspector
General of Police in Goa, Mr Rajendra Mohan, establishes that she left
on leave that had not been sanctioned.)
3. Let's examine your conduct in some of the critical posts you've
held. Is it not a fact that as DIG (Range) in Mizoram the Governor
issued a formal note of displeasure against you for leaking
information to the press?
4. Is it true that when President Venkatraman visited Mizoram the
Governor became aware of your plans to disrupt the visit and informed
the Intelligence Bureau that you could not be trusted with classified
information and security? Again, this is said to be part of your
service record.
5. Now let's come to Chandigarh, where you were Inspector General for
41 days. Is it not true that the Adviser to the Administrator wrote to
the Home Ministry to ask for your removal on the grounds that your
presence in Chandigarh was "not in public interest"? (In her
authorised biography 'I Dare!', its claimed Mrs Bedi asked to be
posted out of the city. However, UNI, on the 18th May 1999 claims: "In
a sudden move, the Union Home Ministry today transferred Chandigarh
Inspector General of Police Kiran Bedi with immediate effect.")
6. You were accused of instigating junior police officers to defy the
administration because you disagreed with certain suspension orders
issued at the time. The press said you were "sowing seeds of
rebellion".
7. In 1988 you were a central figure during the lawyers strike of that
year. Even your authorized biography admits that the Wadhwa
Commission, which investigated the matter, "found fault with Kiran".
The press has claimed he called you "a chronic liar".
8. I put it to you, Mrs Bedi, that far from "an outstanding record",
your service record is good reason why you don't deserve to be Police
Commissioner?
9. In fact, if your service record was so good, wouldn't the Lt.
Governor, Tejinder Khanna, whose Special Secretary you were during his
first tenure, have insisted on your appointment as Police Comssioner?
The fact that he didn't shows that he too thinks you are not fit for
the job.
10. Finally, you've said Dadwal's appointment was wrong not just
because your merit was overlooked but also your seniority. But if you
don't deserve the job on merit should you get it because of
seniority?"
On Nov 3, 1:57 pm, nasir jawed <nasirjawed2...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> I think at this point the public needs to stand with the people who are fighting for them. Remember how Anna had declared war against all politicians regardless. This was expected.
>
> What is Kiran Bedi's airfare overcharging compared to the thousands of crores loots by our politicians? Kiran Bedi has no family and neither is giving money to her relatives. And she is running NGOs. Then there should be no reason to suspect her reply. The govt was expected to try to malign team Anna. Anna maybe superhumanly incorruptible but the rest are mere mortals. And who are we to look down at Kiran Bedi when we too do it all the time and haven't done a fraction of what Kiran Bedi has done for the nation?
>
> Please don't be swayed by politician's malicious campaign against team Anna. Please clear your own heads and of other around you who are getting swayed.
>
>
> Nasir
> 9899614666
>
> "Print this mail only if absolutely necessary. Save Paper. Save Trees."
>
> ________________________________
> From: rajarshi nandy <rajarsh...@yahoo.co.in>
> > > > > adds, the Government...
>
> read more »
This is not the first time an allegation against Kiran Bedi has
surfaced.
In 1992, Bedi's daughter was given admission for MBBS course in
Delhi's Hardinge College under a quota for students from the
Northeast.
In 1994, when she was the Inspector-General of Prisons of Tihar Jail,
the Supreme Court had reprimanded her for ignoring its directives for
providing medical attention to a foreign under-trial prisoner. She was
then given a lenient treatment in view of her Magsasay Award.
In 1988, the Wadhwa Commission criticised Bedi for her role in lathi-
charge on lawyers protesting against a colleague’s arrest outside her
office.
In 2007, Karan Thapar wrote a damning article questioning Bedi's
credentials, where he posed 10 serious questions about her track
record: "1. To begin with, you've received neither the Indian Police
Medal for Meritorious Service nor the President's Police Medal for
Distinguished Service. Given that these are routinely awarded after
completing a certain number of years of service, isn't your not
getting them proof that your record is neither meritorious nor
distinguished?
2. Secondly, is it true that on 4 separate occasions you failed to
complete your tenure and at least twice left your post without
permission which is tantamount to desertion of duty? (She didn't
complete her tenure as Superintendent of Police in Goa, DIG (Range) in
Mizoram, Inspector General (Prisons) Tihar Jail and Inspector General
of Police in Chandigarh. The posts that she left without permission
were Goa, in 1983, and Mizoram, in 1992. Speaking to the Sunday
Observer on the 27th September, 1992, she said of Mizoram: "I left
without asking". Her letter of 25th January,1984 to the Inspector
General of Police in Goa, Mr Rajendra Mohan, establishes that she left
on leave that had not been sanctioned.)
3. Let's examine your conduct in some of the critical posts you've
held. Is it not a fact that as DIG (Range) in Mizoram the Governor
issued a formal note of displeasure against you for leaking
information to the press?
4. Is it true that when President Venkatraman visited Mizoram the
Governor became aware of your plans to disrupt the visit and informed
the Intelligence Bureau that you could not be trusted with classified
information and security? Again, this is said to be part of your
service record.
5. Now let's come to Chandigarh, where you were Inspector General for
41 days. Is it not true that the Adviser to the Administrator wrote to
the Home Ministry to ask for your removal on the grounds that your
presence in Chandigarh was "not in public interest"? (In her
authorised biography 'I Dare!', its claimed Mrs Bedi asked to be
posted out of the city. However, UNI, on the 18th May 1999 claims: "In
a sudden move, the Union Home Ministry today transferred Chandigarh
Inspector General of Police Kiran Bedi with immediate effect.")
6. You were accused of instigating junior police officers to defy the
administration because you disagreed with certain suspension orders
issued at the time. The press said you were "sowing seeds of
rebellion".
7. In 1988 you were a central figure during the lawyers strike of that
year. Even your authorized biography admits that the Wadhwa
Commission, which investigated the matter, "found fault with Kiran".
The press has claimed he called you "a chronic liar".
8. I put it to you, Mrs Bedi, that far from "an outstanding record",
your service record is good reason why you don't deserve to be Police
Commissioner?
9. In fact, if your service record was so good, wouldn't the Lt.
Governor, Tejinder Khanna, whose Special Secretary you were during his
first tenure, have insisted on your appointment as Police Comssioner?
The fact that he didn't shows that he too thinks you are not fit for
the job.
10. Finally, you've said Dadwal's appointment was wrong not just
because your merit was overlooked but also your seniority. But if you
don't deserve the job on merit should you get it because of
seniority?"
On Nov 3, 1:57 pm, nasir jawed <nasirjawed2...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> I think at this point the public needs to stand with the people who are fighting for them. Remember how Anna had declared war against all politicians regardless. This was expected.
>
> What is Kiran Bedi's airfare overcharging compared to the thousands of crores loots by our politicians? Kiran Bedi has no family and neither is giving money to her relatives. And she is running NGOs. Then there should be no reason to suspect her reply. The govt was expected to try to malign team Anna. Anna maybe superhumanly incorruptible but the rest are mere mortals. And who are we to look down at Kiran Bedi when we too do it all the time and haven't done a fraction of what Kiran Bedi has done for the nation?
>
> Please don't be swayed by politician's malicious campaign against team Anna. Please clear your own heads and of other around you who are getting swayed.
>
>
> Nasir
> 9899614666
>
> "Print this mail only if absolutely necessary. Save Paper. Save Trees."
>
> ________________________________
> To: "youth4d...@googlegroups.com" <youth4d...@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, 3 November 2011 2:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [Y4D] Re: Strange defence of Kiran Bedi - Surya Prakash
>
> Indeed a very strange defence stance from Kiran Bedi. Infact, this just cannot be defended. Once the person loses moral ground, she will always remain a suspect. She should have come out clean and if needed apologized right at the beginning which is probably the only real damage control possible, when an anti-corruption crusader is accused of the crimes against which she is supposedly fighting.
>
> -Rajarshi
>
> Sent: Thursday, 3 November 2011 2:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [Y4D] Re: Strange defence of Kiran Bedi - Surya Prakash
>
> Indeed a very strange defence stance from Kiran Bedi. Infact, this just cannot be defended. Once the person loses moral ground, she will always remain a suspect. She should have come out clean and if needed apologized right at the beginning which is probably the only real damage control possible, when an anti-corruption crusader is accused of the crimes against which she is supposedly fighting.
>
> -Rajarshi
>
>
> read more »
nasir jawed
Nov 3, 2011, 5:55:02 AM11/3/11
to youth4d...@googlegroups.com
Don't you think we should forgive her past in view of the noble work she is doing now? More since the movement doesn't have a replacement for her charismatic personality. When you are surrounded by bad, partner with less bad to fight the truly malignant evil. Everyone makes mistakes and it's understandable how you can sometimes lose your mind in a sick system.
"Print this mail only if absolutely necessary. Save Paper. Save Trees."
Sent: Thursday, 3 November 2011 3:01 PM
SurajitDasgupta
Nov 4, 2011, 1:05:17 AM11/4/11
to Youth for Democracy
Nasir,
As I said in a previous comment, we Indians have large hearts. We
forgive and forget everything. To that extent, Kiran Bedi -- as much
as Sonia Gandhi or LK Advani -- can be forgiven. But neither forgiving
nor forgetting happens when the accused is in a mode of denial. That
is precisely what A Surya Prakash has taken exception to: that Bedi
does not even begin to acknowledge she has been wrong on more
occasions than one.
On Nov 3, 2:55 pm, nasir jawed <nasirjawed2...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> Don't you think we should forgive her past in view of the noble work she is doing now? More since the movement doesn't have a replacement for her charismatic personality. When you are surrounded by bad, partner with less bad to fight the truly malignant evil. Everyone makes mistakes and it's understandable how you can sometimes lose your mind in a sick system.
>
>
> Nasir
> 9899614666
>
> "Print this mail only if absolutely necessary. Save Paper. Save Trees."
>
> ________________________________
> ...
>
> read more »
As I said in a previous comment, we Indians have large hearts. We
forgive and forget everything. To that extent, Kiran Bedi -- as much
as Sonia Gandhi or LK Advani -- can be forgiven. But neither forgiving
nor forgetting happens when the accused is in a mode of denial. That
is precisely what A Surya Prakash has taken exception to: that Bedi
does not even begin to acknowledge she has been wrong on more
occasions than one.
On Nov 3, 2:55 pm, nasir jawed <nasirjawed2...@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> Don't you think we should forgive her past in view of the noble work she is doing now? More since the movement doesn't have a replacement for her charismatic personality. When you are surrounded by bad, partner with less bad to fight the truly malignant evil. Everyone makes mistakes and it's understandable how you can sometimes lose your mind in a sick system.
>
>
> Nasir
> 9899614666
>
> "Print this mail only if absolutely necessary. Save Paper. Save Trees."
>
> ________________________________
>
> read more »
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