UNFOUNDED, MISLEADING CLAIMS AGAINST MY WRITINGS - part five e-mail, click here by Basava Premanand

Reply to Gèrald Morèno's claims from
http://www.saisathyasai.com/

Whether intentional or not, Basava Premanand gave a non-operable link to my site. I have corrected the link above with my main domain URL.

The unfounded claims against my reputation are made By Gèrald Morèno under "ExBaba.com: Deception" of May 2005 also in the page Comments by Gèrald Morèno - On Basava Premananand, honored by the Indian Government, where he refers to an Indian Sceptic's report on an ExBaba page'

Gèrald Morèno's comments appear in bold black face and mine in regular case navy blue type.

May 2005
News at ExBaba.com
The 'Indian Skeptic' reports on infiltration attempts to mislead and derail the expose
http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex_baba/engels/articles/premanand/indianskeptic.html

GM: this is an article by Basava Premanand the tabloid critic who has a questionable involvement, in taking an anonymous letter against SSB click here to view my article about Basava Premanand and the anonymous letter he claimed he received from a SSB student.

Reply: I have already replied to his lies in his criticism on the article "Betrayal (click here to see this)". I have already answered his lies and a copy has been sent to the respective authorities. I could not send him a copy as he has neither given me his email nor postal addresses.

My Response: I will address the "click here" link on a separate page. If these "respective authorities" are the same ones Premanand cited in his fourth response, he really has no clue how the internet works.

GM: This article is substantially unsustantiated and fails to provide any sort of documentation or email addresses to back it up. Premanand thinks that people are trying to infiltrate ExbabaOrg. Basava Premanand does not even provide a link to the alleged posts made in the Sai Baba News, Yahoo Group, from the alleged Mr.V.Murali Krishna Yachendra (I could not find any posts from a person using that name). Funny enough, this article proves that people will lie and make false allegations against Sathya Sai Baba. Premanand thinks this man is a SSB devotee, however it is entirely possible this man is a fraud who is now claiming to be a devotee in an effort to get money for his ravaged home (due to the tsunami), using SSB's name. Before the tsunami, he was making sexual abuse allegations against SSB. Clearly this person was seeking some sort of name and fame. This does not mean he was trying to "infiltrate" the ExBaba.com. cult. That is Premanand's conspiracy paranoia working over time again.

My Response: The above quote was updated on August 8th 2005. I noticed the update on Anti-Sai Sites and updated my site as well. Also, M.K. Yachendra (and others) emailed me about this article, and I edited it. Obviously, Premanand is not up-to-date with the articles he cites, nor did he bother to check it in the last month. The quote now reads, "This article is totally unsustantiated and fails to provide any sort of documentation, emails, letters or anything else to back it up. Premanand thinks that people are trying to "infiltrate" ExBaba Org. Basava Premanand does not even provide a link to the alleged posts made in the SaiBabaNews Yahoo Group from Mr. V. Murali Krishna Yachendra. Clearly, Premanand's conspiracy paranoia working overtime again. Also, despite Premanand writing a letter to the police and other high ranking officials, apparently, nothing has been done against Mr. Yachendra."

GM: Basava Premanand claims that the Seduced Documentary (which was in Dutch) and the secret Swami documentary were shown in "about 200 countries". Considering there are only 192 countries, I have no idea where B. Premanand arrived at the number of 200. Further more, the Seduced Documentary could not have been broadcasted to "about 200 countries", as it was in Dutch. I am sure the people in USA, Pakistan, Egypt, Africa, Australia, China, India and over a hundred other countries that do not speak Dutch, had no problems understanding the Dutch Documentary! Robert Priddy claimed that the Seduced Documentary was shown only in a "few other countries" on his Sai/Sex Page on his website. Although the Secret Swami documentary was aired via satellite, it has not by any means, been shown in "about 200 countries". This is a bold - faced lie.

Reply: The article mentioned by Gèrald Morèno is taken from Indian Skeptic Vol-17, no.12 dated 15.4.2005. I do not write for tabloids. If he is sure that Murali Krishna is not a devotee of SSB, why doesn't he take criminal action against him under Cyber crimes?

My Response: I never claimed that Premanand wrote for "tabloids". Where did he get this information from? As I stated earlier, this article was updated on August 8th 2005 after I personally corresponded with Mr. M.K. Yachendra. I plan on writing a full article when Mr. Yachendra is able to respond (his parents are elderly and his mother is very ill).

GM is completely wrong - as usual - in stating that this article is "substantially unsubstantiated" ( something unsubstantiated cannot be substantially so, even though GM typically thinks so). I provide full documentation and email addresses, IPs and other data to back up my assertions. They are published for all to see in a 312-page book 'Sabotage by Murali Krishna Yachendra (Skeptic Book Club No 23.) The records published in this book prove that he was a very near devotee of SSB and was even called for the Sathya Sai Alumni meeting on the 15th and 16th of April 2005.Murali Krishna is an ardent SSB devotee, otherwise his stories about SSB miracles would not have been published in Pro-SSB web sites. These sites are strictly censored by their webmasters to keep out critics. The content of MK's postings there are more than sufficient to establish he is a long-term devotee, having also been a student and teacher at Prashanthi Nilayam. The very purpose of his contacting exposé activists, however, had been to trap them into posting false claims.

My Response: I have personally corresponded with Yachendra and found his replies (to very difficult questions) honest, consistent and forthcoming. It turns out that he is a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba and I was also able to find the posts he made in the SaiBabaNews group. All I am willing to say, at this time, is that according to Yachendra, Premanand is giving a highly misleading account into what actually transpired. Based on the numerous, unsubstantiated and sladerous statements that Premanand made against me, I personally feel that I cannot trust Premanand's version of events.

GM has closed his eyes to pages two and three wherein I have published the copy of my letter to five different government authorities with copies of the documents. So also the copy of my letter to four government authorities with 10 exhibits. The whole bunch of email letters and the internet articles published by Murali Krishna have also been documented in a book coming to 312 pages and priced Rs.100/- in India and US$10/- overseas. If he needs it, he can make a Western Union Money Transfer to B.Premanand and inform me through my email address geedeemedi@vsnl.net his postal address, (postage by airmail is free) so that I can post the book to him by Air Mail Book Post. He will not only find all emails and pro-SSB articles published on SSB web sites but also the methodology how we exposed Murali Krishna's plan to sabotage our work.

My Response: I am glad that Premanand has made this information public. I will forward it to the appropriate people. The article discussing this matter only provided two screen captures taken from the Indian Skeptic Magazine. That's it. Considering how Premanand has resorted to distorting the truth about me, I will not waste my money on his propaganda. I can only imagine how much he has distorted the truth with his poor research.

Gèrald Morèno says untruthfully that I have not provided any set of documentation or email addresses to back it up. These are provided to the concerned authorities. Being Internet literate, he well knows that clubs are not always searchable by search engine, and if he had had the decency to check with me I would have been only too glad to have provided him with the access information to the well-known Sai devotee group on which Morèno appeared and was eagerly welcomed by Sai devotee participants. Or he is scared to confirm that it is found in the website, when the SSB followers would come to know the fraud played by Murali Krishna to sabotage our exposures of SSB. It was a planned scheme to trap us to publish the false allegations in Indian Skeptic and prove that all our work was false including the Danish and BBC documentaries and exonerate SSB from all allegations against him before the 80th birthday.

My Response: It turns out that the "club" (group) in question is searchable by seach engines and by Yahoo's own group search. Furthermore, I have never "appeared" on any "well known Sai devotee group" on which I was "eagerly welcomed by Sai devotee participants". It is apparent that Premanand is relying on inaccurate sources (again) for this total disinformation. I have joined only 3 Yahoo groups: 1) Persecutors Of Sathya Sai Baba; 2) SaiBabaNews and 3) SathyaSaiBaba2. The only reason I joined these Yahoo groups was to view the postings in those groups and to find contact information. I have not posted anything in these groups relating to Sathya Sai Baba or viewpoints expressed on my website. I have only made 2 posts, both in the SathyaSaiBaba2 Yahoo Group. One post was a plea for Hurricane Katrina victims and the second post was enquiring about Dave Lyons (an Anti-Sai Activist) who lived in the Hurrican Katrina affected region. That's it. This is yet another unfounded claim, made against me, by Premanand. This goes to show how poorly Premanand researches his claims and how he is willing to loosely disperse information that is simply untrue.

As I stated before, Yachendra is wanting to clear his name, but his duty to his elderly parents prevents him from writing an immediate response. If Yachendra is telling the truth, Premanand is distorting the facts completely. Considering how Premanand distorts the facts about me, I am more inclined to believe Yachendra.

Who is paranoid - Gèrald Morèno or me - can be known only after we have a session with a psychiatrist. I hope GM would have had one. I am only answering his paranoid articles because they are defamatory, while he is spending all his time to publish lies.

My Response: Since I stated Premanand was "paranoid", Premanand suggests I have a session with a psychiatrist. Since Premanand just called me "paranoid", I suggest he have a session with a psychiatrist. As one can see, from my previous four responses, my comments are not "lies". As a matter of fact, if anyone has been shown to be lying and distorting facts, it is Premanand.

GM should ask his friend to read to him the first two lines of my article and ask him to check what he has stated in his speculations, then only he will understand that he has read wrongly. I have never stated that the documentary titled 'Seduced by Sai Baba' produced by Danish TV in Danish,, and adapted for Norwegian and English language viewing (not 'which was in Dutch' as GM - in keeping with his style - so carelessly states) was telecasted in about 200 countries including India. It was the BBC Documentary "The Secret Swami" which was telecasted in about 200 countries and territories. The source for this statement is on the official website of BBC World itself, quoted here:

My Response: The Seduced documentary was indeed in Dutch (which is what I said). Whether or not it was adapted for Norwegian and the English Language is irrelevant to my statement about the Seduced documentary being in Dutch. It was screened in Australia, but had to be subtitled and even had English voice-overs. The Seduced documentary has not been shown, to my knowledge, in Canada, China, India, the Middle East, Isreal, USA, Africa, Russia, Italy, France and numerous other non-English/Norwegian/Dutch speaking countries. Similarly, the Secret Swami documentary has not been broadcast to "200 countries and territories". As a matter of fact, after a period of 12 months (in July 2005), it barely reached Canada!

"BBC World is the BBC's commercially funded international news and information television channel, broadcasting in English 24 hours a day. It can be seen in 258 million homes in more than 200 countries and territories." See this at:- (Click Here) The words 'and territories' had simply fallen out of the original reference to this on ExBaba and it was copied thereafter. A little genuine research by Morèno could have avoided this minimal point-making of his, but he seems to prefer to capitalize on the slightest thing and spread confusion.

My Response: "A little more research" and Premanand would have known the following: This statement (about BBC World) is indeed true. However, it is also misleading. I updated my comment on August 8th 2005 with the following: "Of course, this once again goes to show how Anti-SSB Activists try to mislead the general public. Premanand claimed that the Secret Swami Documentary was broadcast to 'about 200 countries'. Even if he meant 200 'countries and territories', it is still a bold-faced lie. BBC World is an international news and weather channel. BBC World specifically stated that their international news and information broadcastings can be seen in 'more than 200 countries and territories'. BBC World did not say that the Secret Swami Documentary was broadcast to 'more than 200 countries and territories'". On August 9th, I added the following update: "I received an email from Joanna Brown (Customer Relations Department BBC WORLD & BBC PRIME Television) and she told me, "Thank you for your email. BBC WORLD is a commercial channel funded in no way whatsoever by the British licence fee or the British Government. All news bulletins are provided by BBC News, and purchased by us at the going market rate." Consequently, BBC.co.uk, which broadcasted the Secret Swami documentary, is not the same as BBC World. BBC.co.uk is broadcast to the UK, not to "200 countries and territories", as is done by BBC World, which did not broadcast the Secret Swami documentary.

It is amply documented on the Internet that 'Seduced' has been screened several times in Denmark and Norway, and was screened in Australia. GM is known to phone and email around the world trying to disprove the former devotee case, could easily have confirmed the sheer extent of the worldwide coverage given to 'The Secret Swami'. But he prefers to try to mislead about it. Let him, the loyal defender of his admitted sex-abusing Sathya Sai Baba, challenge the BBC legally if he thinks he has even a shred of a case against them. Dr. Goldstein tried hard but simply had to give it up as he had no case!

My Response: In my previous post, I think I have adequately shown who is trying to mislead whom about the actual coverage of the Secret Swami documentary. I am not aware of the Secret Swami being translated or subtitled in other languages. Consequently, it has not been shown in innumerable, non-English speaking countries. I have never "phoned" anyone regarding information on my site (although I have sent my site-link, via-email, to the very same places that were contacted by Anti-Sai Activists). Where did Premanand get this incorrect information about me "phoning" people? Obviously, Premanand's sources are as unreliable as the sources he uses against Sathya Sai Baba. This is yet another example of Premanand making erroneous accusations with no proof. It is also a fact that the Rahm Family put out a letter stating that the Secret Swami documentary was poorly edited, which gave the impression that Alaya lied. I do not need to take the BBC to court when the Rahm Family has already made the necessary admission. Click Here to view my page about Alaya Rahm and his seriously contradictory testimonies. Click Here to view the Rahm Family letter.

It is all hairsplitting on Gèrald Morèno's behalf in any case - for he evidently has nothing better than this twisting of facts, misquoting purposely and in general deceiving himself and others along the line. The question here is not whether it was aired in all countries but about the sabotage by SSB through him and Murali Krishna of our work by feeding false information.

My Response: "Twisting" what facts? The only one doing the "twisting" is Premanand. Perhaps Premanand would care to justify his claim that I am "sabotaging" his work? As a matter of fact, this correspondence has been very revealing. Personally, I am very happy it has been made public. Finally, my opinions regarding Basava Premanand's character, deceit and dishonesty can be observed in action, first-hand.