Police action salvaged Baba Ramdev's credibility

The Hazare team came out in open support for Baba Ramdev on Sunday, putting their differences aside.

Speaking in Delhi, Hazare accused the government of throttling democracy, and said civil society would launch protests throughout the country to "teach government a lesson" .

"There might have been some faults with Baba Ramdev's agitation but at midnight , beating up people - women, children and elderly - is a blot on democracy,'' Hazare said. He announced that he would sit on a day-long fast at Jantar Mantar on June 8.

Earlier, the Hazare and Ramdev camps appeared to have drifted away for a number of reasons stretching from genuine differences of opinion on issues to the presence of RSS-leaning figures in the Ramdev camp to the desire to take control of the antigraft campaign.

In fact, government's moves to indulge Ramdev capped by the red carpet rolled out for him on Thursday when four Cabinet ministers turned up at the airport to receive him had led to apprehension that the yoga guru was being promoted as a counterweight to Hazare campaign.

The newly-forged unity among civil society means that the government will now have to contend with a stronger opposition on its contentious proposal to keep the PM and higher judiciary outside the jurisdiction of the proposed Lokpal bill. There is a possibility that Baba, so far ambivalent on whether PM should be within the purview of Lokpal, may now support the Hazare group. Ironically, the police operation has salvaged Ramdev's credibility which was under scrutiny after government claimed that he had already cut a deal before launching on a fast.

Keeping civil society engaged is helpful for the government to argue that it has been sensitive to the anti-corruption sentiments.

Its hopes of roping in other components of the political class to form a bloc against civil society are also unlikely to materialize with major political parties - BJP , Left, Samajwadi Party, BSP and JD(U) - all condemning the police action as reminiscent of repression during the Emergency of 1975. The sole exception was Lalu Prasad: hardly the poster boy for integrity in public life.

The police operation was cleared by government leaders at5 pm on Saturday following the recognition that Baba was not going to call off his protest soon. It was executed efficiently, with Delhi Police managing to clear the camp site of protesters with maximum restraint. There was no lathi charge, while a few protesters suffered serious injuries and had to be taken to hospital.

Ramdev was flown to Dehradun in a BSF plane which had been kept on standby.

But the footage of firing of teargas shells and panicstricken women and elderly running for cover relentlessly playing out on TV screens pointed to the risk of government having to pay a political cost. Being the incumbent and handicapped by scams on its watch, it was already the principal target of the antigraft campaign. Any resentment over the midnight raid on Baba's camp will add to the disadvantage. The risk is real considering that details of the 2G and CWG scam are still pouring out.

Baba Ramdev crackdown: Attack on Digvijay's house

Digvijay Singh's house stoned in Bhopal

See photo

BHOPAL: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's residence was pelted with stones by some unidentified people who also shouted slogans in favour of yoga guru Baba Ramdev, police said on Monday.

Digvijay Singh, who has twice been Madhya Pradesh chief minister, owns a bungalow here in Shyamla Hills, but when the incident took place late Sunday, no one from his family was present except a few guards.

"Some people pelted stones and shouted slogans at Digvijay Singh's residence in Shyamla Hills. But it happened for a few minutes and the group left the place," Bhopal Superintendent of Police (SP) Yogesh Choudhary said.

"After the incident, we have told the patrolling party to keep a watch on the house," he said.

The incident is being seen as the outcome of Digvijay Singh's remarks against Ramdev whom he had termed a "thug" on Sunday morning after Delhi police's crackdown on the yoga guru's fast unto death at Ramlila ground in New Delhi.

Madhya Pradesh Congress leader J.P. Dhanopia claimed the people who pelted stones were affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and allied groups.

"The incident took place in the presence of police and we strongly condemn it. The incident also proved that Baba Ramdev is an agent of the saffron parivar," Dhanopia alleged.

BJP lends support to Ramdev's agitation

Throwing its weight behind Baba Ramdev in his fight against black money and corruption, BJP on Monday said it is not a fight of one party or one individual but the fight of the nation.

Addressing BJP workers at the 24-hour 'satyagraha' site at Rajghat here, BJP President Nitin Gadkari said he has spoken to Ramdev, who has resumed his agitation against corruption.

"I spoke to Baba Ramdev this morning. He has resumed his fast. We are with the people who fight against corruption. This is a fight to save democracy and it is not a fight of one party or individual but the fight of the nation," he said.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani said the BJP had earlier also raised the issue of black money and will continue to support those who fight against the menace.

Thanking the media for highlighting the issue of black money stashed away in foreign banks, Advani said a movement against black money would not have grown to this level without the media highlighting it.

Ajay Arya, one of the disciples of Baba Ramdev, who was injured in both the legs in the police crackdown yesterday, was at the satyagraha site for a few minutes and deplored the police action on a "peaceful protest".

Wishing for speedy recovery of Arya, Gadkari said the black money stashed away in foreign banks should be brought back to the country.

Arya said, "The time has come for 'Ram Rajya' and it is time for the UPA government to go. It reminds me of Jallianwala Bagh as people were beaten up mercilessly."

BJP to bring out vision document for U.P.

The revival blueprint will serve as a means to increase the party's support base in the State

The Bharatiya Janata Party will prepare a “vision document” for the betterment of Uttar Pradesh in its quest to retain power in the State where its political fortunes have nosedived and the party has not tasted power on its own since 1991.

The BJP's revival blueprint in the shape of the vision document will serve as a means to increase the party's support base in Uttar Pradesh, it was said.

A 22–member panel, with the former Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi acting as its convenor, has been constituted for preparing the vision document and it held an informal sitting on the concluding day of the BJP's two-day national executive meeting here on Saturday. Senior leader Hukum Singh will be its co-convenor and the panel includes the leader of the BJP legislature party Om Prakash Singh.

Accusing the Mayawati government of corruption and misrule and holding the Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress and Samajwadi Party responsible for the “plight” of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has said that, if returned to power, a fast track court would be constituted for the trial of the persons accused of committing various crimes under the present regime.

A resolution on the political situation in U.P. passed on the concluding day of the two-day BJP's national executive meeting here on Saturday presented the party as the only alternative in the State — “BJP's good governance versus the opportunism of BSP, SP and Congress.”

The resolution said the party resolved to establish “Ram rajya” by putting an end to goonda raj and jungle raj. The Ram temple has been mentioned in the resolution, but it follows the hackneyed line of “the BJP making efforts at all levels for the construction of the temple.”

Land acquisition

The resolution moved by U.P.'s election in charge Kalraj Mishra slammed Chief Minister Mayawati for the forced acquisition of farm land and the police lathi charge on farmers of Bhatta-Parsaul, Karchana and Tappal. The resolution said not only had the farmers been deprived of their livelihood, their children too were facing unemployment. In the last four years of Ms. Mayawati's rule, incidents of atrocities on the weaker sections, especially the Dalits and backward classes, had increased. According to the report of the UP's SC, ST Commission, there had been a 30 per cent increase in incidents of excesses against the Dalits, the resolution added.

It said if the BJP formed the government after the 2012 Assembly polls, it would ensure the development of basic infrastructure on a priority basis. Welfare schemes would be launched for the farmers and the acquisition of land would be in accordance with the market rates.

In the 2007 Assembly elections, the BJP was pushed to the third place (it has a strength of about 50 MLAs in the present Vidhan Sabha) and there has been a massive erosion in its support base. This was evident from the fact that in the Assembly by-elections held in the last four years, the BJP has either stood third or fourth, or ended up with its candidates losing their deposits.

Infighting

Groupism and infighting too had gripped the party. Queries on the how the party would curb infighting in U.P. were shrugged off by BJP spokespersons at the meeting.

It has been alleged that the inclusion of senior U.P. BJP leaders in the 22-member panel for drafting the vision document was a step to quell the voices of dissent. Some leaders have been sulking in the sidelines ever since Mr. Kalraj Mishra was named the election in charge of U.P. Fears of infighting gathering momentum was one reason why the BJP did not name any one the chief ministerial candidate, or shadow Chief Minister, unlike in 2007 when the party fought the polls under Kalyan Singh, sources said.

The BJP general secretary and in-charge for U.P. affairs Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters that many programmes would be launched in the State for bringing the people closer to the party.