Anna Hazare has decided not to join the Baba Ramdev's indefinite fast on Sunday because of his group's unease over the presence of saffronites with the yoga guru. Hazare and some other members of his group were in particular upset at the presence of Sangh Parivar leader Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais with Ramdev.
Earlier in the day, speaking from Kochi , Hazare had said that he would discuss the issue with other civil society members of the Lokpal drafting committee. Lawyer and member of the committee Prashant Bhushan also said he was 'unhappy' at the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais, where Ramdev is on hunger-strike against black money, saying the platform should not be allowed to be used by "communal" forces. "I am unhappy with the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara. You cannot prevent anyone from supporting a cause but the platform should not be allowed to be used by communal forces,'' Bhushan said.
Bhushan said Hazare had already told Ramdev that he would not share the platform with politicians or religious leaders. Sources said that the feeling of discomfort had increased because the issue of Lokpal had been completely diluted and instead the saffron flavour had gained strength in Ramdev's campaign.
In contrast, another member of the drafting committee Justice N Santosh Hegde said that he saw nothing wrong in the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais. "So far as the presence Sadhvi Ritambhara is concerned, she may be an accused in Ayodhya (Babri Masjid demolition ) case but we are not supporting that cause. We are supporting only the fight against corruption. If she wants to fight against corruption, I do not see why she should not be allowed to do that,'' he said.
Responding to a question about conflict of interest between the Anna Hazareled civil society and Ramdev's protest, Justice Hegde said, "So far as Baba's hunger strike is concerned, it is against corruption and we are also fighting against corruption . Therefore, there is no conflict and hence we welcome it and support it.''
Earlier in the day, speaking from Kochi , Hazare had said that he would discuss the issue with other civil society members of the Lokpal drafting committee. Lawyer and member of the committee Prashant Bhushan also said he was 'unhappy' at the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais, where Ramdev is on hunger-strike against black money, saying the platform should not be allowed to be used by "communal" forces. "I am unhappy with the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara. You cannot prevent anyone from supporting a cause but the platform should not be allowed to be used by communal forces,'' Bhushan said.
Bhushan said Hazare had already told Ramdev that he would not share the platform with politicians or religious leaders. Sources said that the feeling of discomfort had increased because the issue of Lokpal had been completely diluted and instead the saffron flavour had gained strength in Ramdev's campaign.
In contrast, another member of the drafting committee Justice N Santosh Hegde said that he saw nothing wrong in the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais. "So far as the presence Sadhvi Ritambhara is concerned, she may be an accused in Ayodhya (Babri Masjid demolition ) case but we are not supporting that cause. We are supporting only the fight against corruption. If she wants to fight against corruption, I do not see why she should not be allowed to do that,'' he said.
Responding to a question about conflict of interest between the Anna Hazareled civil society and Ramdev's protest, Justice Hegde said, "So far as Baba's hunger strike is concerned, it is against corruption and we are also fighting against corruption . Therefore, there is no conflict and hence we welcome it and support it.''
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