[IAC++] Ms. Medha Patkar

Dear Friends

It seems I have posted 2 emails describing among other things Ms. Medha Patkar (and Arvind Kejriwal) as "foreign financed". A few kind people have brought this (and another item concerning the lady activist) to my attention causing me to research the matter further.

I must say that I had made this statement based on my recollection of.

a) Certain Supreme Court orders in NBA matters last year,
b) Activism and PR of an Ahmedabad based NGO - NCCL or suchlike
c) A series of news reports which described Ms. Medha Patkar as a Magsaysay awardee (the latest series of which was about 6 days back when she was arrested and got bail etc.). Everyone who reads me regularly knows my views on awards/awardees like this which are only awarded to corrupt people.

It seems I may have been wrong on the Magsaysay  award (and I couldn't locate it on the RMAF website either when I checked). For what its worth the news stories which misled me were

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-07/india/28114789_1_naxal-hit-areas-narmada-bachao-andolan-tribals
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-07/bhopal/34972300_1_medha-patkar-kss-activists-narmada-bachao-andolan
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-08/bhopal/34993083_1_medha-patkar-personal-bond-kss
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/corruption-systemic-change-anna-hazares-new-targets_810317.html
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/anna-hazare-holds-meeting-in-delhi_810317.html

and a string of others which any can search for on google.

So I am (temporarily) modifying my statement that Ms. Patkar is foreign financed (Magsaysay CIA spy by implication like Arvind, Kiran Bedi, Aruna Roy etc...) till I fully research the matter again. My thanks to those who pointed this out and my apology(s) to any/everybody who was offended.

I am also open to discuss another aspect which is being communicated in private emails to me from a certain IAC section on this list. 

Namely that while Arvind's group is completely corrupt, money obsessed and tainted (which is why the political option suits them to a T) but Anna and Medha etc. (but not Kiran Bedi - who is needed for other reasons)  are mature/decent/honest/simple folk with long track records of grassroots clean activism  etc.  but who simply cannot function with Arvind.  Since this a open mailing list I suppose, all knowledgeable subscribers should and ought to write in so that all dimensions / truth of the IAC fracture/implosion emerge and can be chronicled for future researchers.

Sarbajit