New Delhi:
Baba Ramdev seems certain that his hunger fast will draw the same sort of crowds as his hugely popular yoga sessions.
At the Ram Lila Maidan, the ground is being laid for his much-hyped fast against corruption, scheduled to start on Saturday, despite pleas from the government and a personal appeal from the Prime Minister.
Hundreds of ceiling fans and toilets were being installed at what the yoga icon is billing as a people's revolution - one that his camp believes will outstrip the campaign of goodwill and support that swelled around Gandhian Anna Hazare when he went on a hunger strike in April to push for a new tough law to battle corruption. Mr Hazare's efforts led to the government acquiescing to his demand that civil society activists be included on a committee that's drafting the Citizen's Ombudsman Bill or Lokpal Bill.
The scale of the stage being set up for Baba Ramdev hints at what some believe is his real motive - to eclipse Mr Hazare as the face of the campaign titled India Against Corruption.
So far, 50 lakh people have called a toll-free number to pledge their support to Mr Ramdev. Online, as well, Mr Ramdev is getting the thumbs up on Facebook and other sites.
Baba Ramdev muscled his way into India's consciousness in 1995 when his mass yoga sessions started being televised. He used his classes to preach against corruption in the system, and occasionally to promote a swadeshi ideology that was welcomed by saffron groups.
As his popularity grew, so did the controversies. His Divya Yog Mandir Trust was accused of using animal and human remains in medicines - charges that were never proved. Undeterred, he debated launching a political party named Bharat Swabhiman in 2010.
Lately, his focus has been on the crores of black money that has been channeled abroad in Swiss and other accounts - money that he says the government must recover immediately.
Mr Hazare has confirmed that he will be at the Ram Lila Maidan on Sunday - a show of support aimed at silencing those who believe that civil society leaders are divided over the sort of action that the government needs to take against corruption, mainly via the Lokpal Bill that's meant to be presented in Parliament by June 30.