Kiran Bedi refutes her own medicine

If I was an inventor or an innovator, I should be laughing to the Bank by now.  Alas I am neither but a poor blogger and would have to remain so for some time.
:-)

On Tuesday, my post was titled ‘I am not corrupt if I ask for medicine instead of money’ and it asked a simple question: suppose I am in a position of authority and instead of asking for money, gold or property for granting favours, if I ask for medicines for my family, am I corrupt or not?  See,

• My father could suffer from a rare heart condition which requires an expensive anti-clotting injection every day, costing a few thousand rupees.
• My grandmother could be a kidney patient who requires dialysis every week, leaving a hole of several thousand rupees in my pocket.
• My cockatiels could suffer from protein and vitamin deficiency which require costly imported supplements.
• My racing colt might have a rare condition which requires he be fed corn soaked in original Scotch Whiskey.

OK!  I don’t own a race horse.  In fact I don’t have any one of above except for the cockatiels and they are not suffering from any deficiency. Thank You.

But you see the point.  If I ask people to contribute or take care of these ‘medicinal’ needs of my family (or extended family), am I corrupt or not?

If I am, then how come Kiran Bedi who has allegedly indulged in inflated claims, still is part of Team Anna and acting so pure and pristine? 

What is the difference between an English MP submitting (or not submitting) claims, perusing the allowances and subsidizing their lifestyle and what Kiran Bedi has herself accepted that she does?

The point in the UK Parliamentary Expenses Scandal was that MPs were claiming their ‘entitled’ allowances in full - even though they spent it for other purposes or the claim itself was inflated. 

For e.g.,

• Jack Straw (Labour) had to repay UKP 1500 after it came to light that he had originally claimed the full bill despite getting a 50% discount from the local authority for the property.
• Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) was reported for claiming UKP 198 taxi trip.
• George Osborne (Tory) repaid UKP 440 claimed as chauffer bill after he missed the last train.
• Sir Paul Beresford (Tory) has been reported for claiming 3/4th running costs for his second home, which includes his dental practice.
• Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton were shamed after it was revealed that they claimed more than UKP 80000/- for a London flat owned by a Trust controlled by their children.

So you can keep claiming that

• it was a Trust
• you’d (or hadn’t) disclosed about the discount
• you’d used a chauffer (or flight) only when without other options
• the charity was run out of your home

but by British standards, it is all hogwash.
If you make an inflated reimbursement claim, you’re corrupt.  Many of the MPs involved in that scandal had to step down (like Wintertons) and some were actually jailed.

In my book, claiming in full the 75% discounted air fare (albeit for her trust) and using that (75%) part of money for flight travel for other events is subsidising one’s lifestyle by inflated claims.  If there is no such (inflated) 75%, either she had to travel by other means or not attend the event at all.  In effect, she used the inflated claims to subsidize her lifestyle. (this part has been rewritten).

So Kiran Bedi can claim that she is wearing different clothes and that she told people that she wears such clothes - I, for one, can’t see them!


Image courtesy the Daily Mail & BBC (Empress’s New Clothes)

My mischievous half murmurs, “maddie, you know what Team Anna is going to say?  We fought against the British for our freedom, let us fight against their standards too!  Let’s have an Indian standard.”
ROFLMAO

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