As the Central government gets ahead with the plan to divest almost all of its stakes in Air India, some of the former employees have taken to social media (SM) to spread all kinds of canards and half-baked information. Whether their intent is noble or not is a different matter. The crux of the matter is that it may inject a degree of fear and uncertainty in the minds of potential investors. Already, one potential investor, Anand Mahindra, has thrown in his towels. Asked on Twitter whether he would invest in the debt-ridden Air India, Mahindra replied saying: "I see myself as a generally courageous person…But I confess...I don't possess THAT much courage…" Mahindra's success journey is marked with risks and taking on industry leaders like the Tatas who have enjoyed the monopoly in many sectors. Mahindra has also successfully created an aviation ecosystem where his company now makes small aircraft and is in the process of launching flight operations to boost the country's regional connectivity. Clearly, the Mahindra Group has the pedigree, the experience, the money and the right mixture of leadership. So why is it backing out? Of course, the financial predicament of Air India is an overriding factor. But surely he must have been dissuaded by the stories being planted by Air India's ex-employees against the company which is still feeding their families despite accumulating a debt of Rs 50,000 crores. Taking cognizance of SM comments, Air India has been constrained to threaten to discontinue post-retirement benefits of former employees who "tarnish the image of the company by posting negative remarks on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and also electronic and print media". An office order issued on June 21 and signed by Executive Director (CA) Aruna Gopalakrishnan states: "It has been noticed in the recent past that few retired personnel of Air India are tarnishing the image of the company by posting negative remarks…". It adds: "It is unacceptable that a person, who is availing post-retirement facilities like passage, medical, etc. from Air India talks against the company." A copy of the order has been sent to the Air India Retired Employees' Association. "Retired personnel may be requested to refrain from posting any negative statement about the company. Retired personnel who make such negative comments with the intention of tarnishing the image of the company will themselves be responsible for the cessation of their post-retirement facilities," the order states, adding that it has been issued "with the approval of the Air India chairman and managing director (Ashwani Lohani)". When contacted, Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar said, "There are a lot of people who spent more than two to three decades in Air India. During their service period, they h