By IANS,
Dehradun/New Delhi: Fasting Baba Ramdev, admitted in a Dehradun hospital after his condition deteriorated, was stable but weak, doctors attending on him said Saturday even as fresh efforts were made by political and spiritual leaders to urge the yoga guru to call off his eight-day old fast against corruption.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met Ramdev in the hospital for the second day Saturday though the government was at pains to clarify that it has made “no backdoor” attempts to talk to Ramdev. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, spared no attack on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for the June 4 crackdown on Ramdev’s supporters in New Delhi’s Ramlila Ground.
The BJP also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the police action at the Ramlila Ground, in which several people were injured.
Deepak Goyal, a doctor at Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Hospital where Ramdev is admitted, said the guru was stable but weak.
“His condition is stable. Last (Friday) night there was a sudden fall in his parameters but it was controlled through treatment. All parameters are under control now,” he told reporters.
Goyal, however, added that Ramdev is having “problems in sitting and speaking, and he has weakness.”
The condition of Acharya Balakrishna, a close aide of Ramdev who is also on fast, is also stable, the doctor added.
He clarified that Ramdev has not taken any food orally so far, but was given a drip of saline, glucose and vitamins.
After meeting Ramdev in hospital, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said the yoga guru was adamant on continuing his fast.
“He is adamant that he will continue his fast. If he (Ramdev) is adamant, I am also adamant that I will stay here as long as it takes for him to give up his fast,” he told reporters.
The Art of Living founder clarified that the central government had not asked him to negotiate with Ramdev for ending his fast against black money and corruption.
Denying any “backdoor” talks with Ramdev, Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily said in Bangalore: “There is no backdoor or open door talks with anyone. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar spoke to me from Berlin and also upon his return to the country and asked me what is happening. He expressed his concern over what is happening and said he would speak to Ramdev.” Moily said that he had given Sri Sri permission to cite his name during talks with Ramdev.
In Lucknow, Congress leader P.L. Punia said Ramdev’s fast against corruption has now lost its significance.
Chairman of the Scheduled Castes Commission, Punia said, “What Ramdev is now doing has no significance. His fast has no meaning now as his demands have been accepted by the central government. Now he should call off his fast.”
But, the opposition continued to rap the Congress.
Calling the Manmohan Singh government “the most corrupt and repressive” government, the BJP termed the prime minister as a CEO working on behalf of owners of a company – Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – who were “not answerable”.
“The repressive character of this government is becoming increasingly evident with more and more corruption coming out,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, adding that the party believes the government is not keen on retrieving black money stashed abroad.
In his blog, Advani said: “Only a cornered government unable to defend its misdeeds before an angry populace and a desperate leadership can behave in this manner.”
The BJP also staged protests at 14 locations in the national capital and asked the government to clarify its stand on black money and corruption. They also demanded a CBI probe into the police crackdown.