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This is an archive article published on October 21, 2011
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Opinion In the mirror

I am a supporter of Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption. Nevertheless,when something wrong happens,it must be criticised.

The Indian Express

October 21, 2011 12:20 AM IST First published on: Oct 21, 2011 at 12:20 AM IST

In the mirror

Thanks for exposing Kiran Bedi’s inflated bills to claim full fare after availing 75 per cent discount on air tickets (‘Kiran Lokpal Bedi buys discount air tickets,gets hosts to pay full fare’,IE,October 20). I am a supporter of Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption. Nevertheless,when something wrong happens,it must be criticised. What Bedi has done is mean and unethical. Her explanation that she used the inflated money for her NGO is not convincing. If you collect money unethically and use it for causes however noble,it’s not proper. For noble causes,money should come through noble means.

— Saroj K. Panigrahi

Mumbai

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Some leaders/ activists seem so innocent and honest. But they practise the opposite in real life. If leaders of an anti-corruption movement are found to have been involved in what looks like financial misdemeanour,or in gaining political advantage,the movement will die.

— Uttam K. Bhowmik

Tamluk

Sound & fury

YOUR front-page headline ‘Kiran Lokpal Bedi buys discount air tickets,gets hosts to pay full fare’ is really much ado about nothing. Reimbursement of airfare is a matter of contract between Bedi and her hosts. If the hosts agree to pay according to Bedi’s claims,without insisting on proof,that’s fine. Such reimbursement practices are standard. Moreover,the payments have been accepted in the name of Bedi’s NGO,and not pocketed by her. It’s also not your case that Bedi’s gallantry award makes the 75 per cent discount subject to not recovering the airfare as reimbursement.

— Srinivasan Anand G.

New Delhi

Damage control

THIS refers to ‘PM admits to tension within,says test is to keep UPA together’ (IE,October 20). Veerappa Moily and Salman Khurshid were obviously making the ground for diluting the RTI law and containing the judiciary. But widespread criticism has forced the PM to contradict any such move and term their comments “stray thoughts” and “taking advantage of a functioning democracy to express opinions”. A “functional” democracy,however,doesn’t mean the PM and his ministers could be at cross-purposes.

— M.C. Joshi

Lucknow

Idol worship

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WHAT Jaithirth Rao argues in ‘Elites don’t get it’ (IE,October 18) is absolutely true and probably what spurred Mayawati to action. But what Rao has probably missed is that this penchant for constructing large structures,in the hope of stirring pride in a targeted constituency,has been diluted to constructing statues for the last few decades and is now watered down to naming/ renaming places. The Thiruvalluvar statue came a decade ago. I am unable to recall any other purely non-functional structure built recently costing a fraction of what Mayawati’s park has cost.

— V. Srinivasan Mumbai