Kiran Bedi, Shakti Sinha address BJP’s intellectual seminar

Supercop Kiran Bedi and former bureaucrat Shakti Sinha on Friday criticised the policies of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit government and advocated change but refrained from taking names of any politician or government official. Both of them shared the stage with intellectuals who openly accepted their affiliation with the BJP but tried their best to maintain a non-partisan tone to their speeches. 

‘I don’t have any political affiliation with any political party. I want good governance for my city,’ said Bedi when specifically asked if she will campaign for the BJP. Bedi who left soon after completing her speech at a seminar ‘Delhi — The Need For Change’ organised by Vivekanand Study Centre, BJP’s Intellectual Cell. She however, kept her 20-minutes speech confined to issues of policing and prevention of crime in the city. 

‘The increasing crime in the city is due to lack of political will,’ she said recounting other factors for increase in crime such as — wrong parenting, lack of moral values, and unemployment among others. ‘We must use optimally what is available before demanding for more power and resources,’ she added.

Sinha was however more aggressive in his approach. ‘Through the upcoming Delhi assembly elections you can give a signal to the central government. If you want to bring change this can start at small scale,’ said Sinha. 

Senior journalist Vijay Kranti said the forum also wants to invite leaders of Congress to present their views to make such seminars purely a forum for intellectual discussion. BJP’s R Balashankar, Prof MD Nalpat, Prof Sudama Yadav, and advocate Sandeep Mahapatra were also present on the stage.