Hazare defends Bedi, slams 'gang of four'

Social activist Anna Hazare came out on Monday in support of his team member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi — who is enmeshed in a controversy over her inflated travel bills – and pointed fingers at a ‘gang of four’ in the ruling party. HT reports.

Social activist Anna Hazare came out on Monday in support of his team member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi — who is enmeshed in a controversy over her inflated travel bills – and pointed fingers at a ‘gang of four’ in the ruling party.

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Bedi is under attack for overcharging organisations by inflating her travel bills though she claimed the money went to her NGO. She had offered to return the excess money collected from her hosts.

He said to accuse and humiliate seemed to be the mantra of “the few”, as they were afraid that a jan lokpal legislation would strip them of power. Recalling the formation of the joint committee to draft the lokpal bill, he said these people did not want the bill passed.

Hazare wrote in his blogpost, 'Rise and Fight against Gang of Four, that the four union ministers, who were part of the lokpal drafting committee, were running a smear campaign against him and his team.

He said if Bedi had “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 found guilty should take stringent actions against her”.