Anna Denies Foreign Hand in Campaign

Two key members of team Anna – Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal are among the many recipients of the Magsaysay awards, which are named after the late Filipino President Ramon Magsaysay and are aimed at honoring public “selfless service” of outstanding individuals in Asia.

It’s true that Magsaysay Award receives grants from U.S. organizations. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a philanthropic organization, helped in its establishment in the 1950s and is a key sponsor. But from this to suspect, as Vayalar Ravi does, that the award is part of a conspiracy to destabilize Indian politics is a big leap.

Kiran Bedi was given the Magsaysay Award in the category “Government Service” in 1994. This was given when she was India’s No.1 female police cop. Kejriwal was given the Magsaysay Award in 2006 for “Emergent Leadership,” which recognizes efforts of people under the age of 40 in bringing about social change. This category of award was originally endowed by the Ford Foundation, another U.S.-based philanthropic organization, but only until 2005.

Ravi, the Congress politician named both Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Ford Foundation in his press interaction. Katarina J. Yee, a spokeswoman for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, in an email, said that a board of trustees made up of nine Filipino nationals select award recipients. She said that through its awards, “the board seeks to recognize the achievements of groups and individuals that address issues of human development in Asia,” as reported by WSJ.