Baba Ramdev ended his six-day hunger strike against corruption and black money with a glass of lime juice today, offered to him by two children. He has left the Ambedkar stadium in Central Delhi, under police escort , and is headed to the airport.
Here are the 10 developments in this story:
The yoga guru will take a 3 pm SpiceJet flight to Dehradun. The Home Ministry has asked the Uttar Pradesh police to ensure Baba Ramdev is escorted safely to his ashram in Haridwar, where, the Baba's office said, he would take dip in the Ganga.
Before ending his fast, Baba Ramdev delivered a lengthy speech with searing criticism of the Congress which he described as India's most corrupt political party. He also attacked the Prime Minister and his party for lacking the will to combat black money and repatriate crores of untaxed income secretly deposited abroad by Indians.
The yoga icon has said he will go from Ambedkar Stadium, where he insisted on staying the night, for Haridwar, where he says, he will bathe in the Ganga. "I have not eaten or bathed for six days," he said. The Delhi Police will escort him to the border to ensure a calm exit for him.
"Mr Prime Minister, tomorrow is Independence Day. If you don't speak about black money and corruption (in address to the nation), then you are as guilty as those who are corrupt," Baba Ramdev said in a speech at the stadium before he ended his fast. "We could have stopped the PM from unfurling the national flag tomorrow," he warned.
"We are leaving the stadium because we have won, not because we have lost," the yoga icon said. "Congress hatao, desh bachao (remove the Congress to save the country)," he declared.
It has been a tense morning for the Delhi Police, which tried to persuade Baba Ramdev and his supporters to exit the Ambedkar Stadium, which is located in a high-security zone. Senior cops reminded the crowd that they need to make arrangements for Independence Day tomorrow. Thousands booed.
While senior politicians Sharad Yadav and Nitin Gakdari visited Baba Ramdev's camp at Ramlila Maidan on Monday; today, it was prominent lawyer and BJP MP Ram Jethmalani who shared the guru's stage. Mr Jethmalani said that many cabinet ministers - and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi -have black money in bank accounts. "If you do as Baba Ramdev says, and vote out this government," he said, "I will ensure these ministers are in jail within a year."
The Delhi Police has tried to handle Baba Ramdev's agitation with extreme caution - it wants to avoid a repeat of last year when it cracked down at midnight on a camp held by Baba Ramdev; many people were injured.
Sources in the police say that the yoga icon violated the terms he had agreed to when he sought permission to hold a protest camp in the capital.He was arrested on Monday afternoon as he tried to lead his supporters towards Parliament. The police said he did not have permission for this march.
While Baba Ramdev campaigns against black money, income tax officials are scrutinizing the financial details of the Patanjali Yoga Trust and Divya Yog Mandir Trust he runs, for alleged tax evasion.
(With Agency Inputs)
Post a comment