Kiran Bedi’s warped sense of humour had local activists campaigning against corruption squirming in their seats on Tuesday night.

Addressing a public meeting at Merces, Santa Cruz, Bedi told voters it was alright to accept money from those vying for their vote.

“If they’re offering you money, put it in your pocket. I hear some of them are giving motorcycles. Take that too,” she said, insisting there is nothing wrong in the voter accepting an inducement, so long as he voted right.

The new lot in power might even bring down the price of motorcyles, the former police officer joked.

Bedi then added a tinge of histrionics to her roadside act by insisting that the media join her on stage so they could see for themselves how the crowd responded to her.
An embarrassed lot of local cameramen and reporters scrambled up, and Bedi proceeded to upbraid them.

“You media people haven’t been reporting the kind of overwhelming response we’ve been getting in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. See now for yourself, because seeing is believing,” she said.

Turning to the crowd she said those who regretted having brought the present lot of  politicians to power in Goa should raise their hand and say sorry.

“Don’t vote for them. Take their money but don’t vote for them,” Bedi said in a twisted form of logic at an anti-corruption campaign.

Santa Cruz constituency will see a three-cornered contest between Congress minister Babush Monserrate, the MGP’s Dinar Tarcar and independent Rudolph Fernandes. All three candidates have very controversial backgrounds.

Team Anna members will address several public meetings in Goa in the run-up to the March 3 poll.