Yoga guru accuses PM of shielding the corrupt

IANS/New Delhi

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev breaks his fast at Ambedkar stadium in New Delhi yesterday

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev yesterday ended his five-day fast against corruption and black money, accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of shielding the corrupt and asking people not to vote for the Congress in the 2014 general elections.Ramdev broke his fast with lime juice given to him by two children. “I am ending the fast but the agitation will go on till our demands are met,” Ramdev told a huge gathering at the Ambedkar Stadium in central Delhi where he and his supporters spent the night after police detained them on Monday evening while marching to parliament.Ramdev and his supporters chose to stay on at the stadium even after police revoked detention and permitted them to leave on Monday night.After breaking his fast yesterday, Ramdev flew back to Haridwar where he runs a yoga centre. However, before leaving the capital, Ramdev, in a politically-laced speech, lambasted the prime minister and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.“He (Manmohan Singh) should show political will and honesty and if he does not show it, he will be deemed as corrupt. If he can’t remain politically honest, then he should leave the post,” Ramdev said in his speech that lasted an hour.“Why are you getting yourself insulted; if you cannot bring back black money, then become a guru like me. You come from Sikh community, and many Sikh gurus gave their lives for noble cause. I request you to learn something from them and serve the country.”Holding the Congress responsible for price rise and poverty, Ramdev asked the people not to vote for the party. “We have decided not to vote for the Congress. The party has made us poor and put us in poverty. You have to tell people that it is Congress which has pushed you to poverty and is responsible for price rise.”Ramdev said the Congress was the most corrupt party and not even one Congress member deserved to be elected in the 2014 general elections.“Remove the Congress and save the country,” he said and his supporters echoed the call.Ramdev’s remarks evoked a sharp reaction from the government and the Congress.Corporate Affairs Minister M Veerapa Moily accused him of using “loose language” for people in authority and said the government had taken several initiatives to tackle black money.Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the government had been spelling out its steps to tackle black money for the past few years and it would be wrong to accuse it of inaction.Ramdev, who launched his agitation at the Ramlila Maidan on August 9, said he had not been defeated.He claimed he had become successful in bringing many political parties on board against black money and corruption.“Had there been voting in parliament Monday on black money, the government would have fallen. We have got support from parties supporting the ruling alliance,” he said.Rahul Gandhi ‘has money stashed abroad’Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was amongst those who had black money abroad, veteran lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Jethmalani claimed yesterday. Sharing the dais with yoga guru Baba Ramdev at the Ambedkar Stadium, Jethmalani said: “Rahul Gandhi’s name is there in the list of those whose money is stashed abroad. The Congress party wants to hide the name of its leaders in the list.” Earlier Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit attacked Baba Ramdev and the now defunct Team Anna, calling their movements politically motivated which had the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “We have already said that Anna Hazare’s as well as Ramdev’s movement are politically motivated by BJP,” Dikshit said.