By IANS,
New Delhi : Thousands from all over India assembled at the sprawling Ramlila Ground in central Delhi as yoga guru Baba Ramdev went on his fast against corruption and illicit wealth. The ruling dispensation played a double game, with ministers trying to woo him, even as the Congress slammed it “five-star satyagraha”.But differences between civil right activists, headed by Gandhian Anna Hazare, who had earlier said he would join the fast, and Ramdev were clearly evident. Hazare said in Kochi that he was yet to decide whether to join the yoga guru.
Ramdev’s fast comes two months after Hazare went on a similar campaign to pressurize the government for a stronger anti-graft Lokpal Bill.
The government buckled and formed a joint committee, with social activists and central ministers, to form a draft of the bill.
But Ramdev, who has acquired cult status among sections of the middle and working classes with his highly popular televised yoga exercises, seemed undeterred.
“It is overwhelming to see the huge crowd that has gathered in support of our crusade against corruption. The journey is long and I request the supporters to stay calm,” he said at the start of his “fast unto death” at 7 a.m.
“We are not going to bow down to any political party or conspiracy. It will be a peaceful protest,” Ramdev promised.
He said the agitation was “democratic and non-violent” and “not against any party or to bring down the government”.
Even as the government representatives tried to make Ramdev give up his fast before the situation went out of hand, the Congress went on the offensive, questioning his political support and dubbing his protest a “five-star satyagraha”.
The allusion was to the lavish arrangements made at the venue, with Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleging that the “huge logistical operation” was “remote-controlled by some organisation and parties”.
Another Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who has been speaking out against the 46-year-old healer, questioned Ramdev’s “strong affiliations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)” and urged Hazare to reconsider his decision to side with the guru.
“The foot soldiers in the fast are from the RSS. It is evident that he (Ramdev) is piggybacking on the RSS,” he said.
“Baba travels in a private jet, stays in a five-star luxury hotel, and has the money for such arrangements before going on a fast. This is surely a five-star satyagraha as you doubt his credibility,” Singh said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which decided to clamber on the Ramdev bandwagon to take advantage of the government’s discomfiture, said it was extending “moral support” to his campaign that would “reach its destination” in getting the country’s wealth back.
Various estimates put the amount of illegal wealth stashed by rich Indians in Swiss banks and other tax-free havens as between $500 billion to $1.5 trillion. The government has been saying it is making attempts to get the money back, but the opposition and civil society activists have made it a major issue.
After the red carpet welcome shown to Ramdev Wednesday when Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee along with three ministers went to receive him at the airport, the government made efforts to stop Ramdev’s fast fearing that his popularity could swell into a mass movement.
But when the second round of talks failed Friday evening, the government found itself cornered and agreed to declare as “national asset” the millions in black money stashed in foreign banks – a key demand he had raised.
In a point-by-point response to Ramdev’s demands, a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office said the maximum punishment against corrupt would be “substantially increased”. This is the sore point as Ramdev has asked for death for the corrupt.
But, this was probably not enough. Ramdev went ahead with his fast as he said that mere “verbal promises” were not enough and he want an “ordinance” on the issue.