Chandigarh:
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has threatened to launch a mass agitation from August 9 if the UPA government did not take effective steps for establishment of a strong Lokpal and bringing back black money stashed abroad.
"The government is not taking result-oriented steps to bring back black money. It is also not doing enough for setting up an effective Lokpal to rein in corruption. They will have to do these two things. Otherwise on August 9, we will launch a stir with support of crores of people of this country," Baba Ramdev said.
The date announced coincides with Quit India movement which was launched on August 9, 1942.
"We will only relent when the black money will come back and the country gets a strong Lokpal. Otherwise, I am ready to pay with my life," he said in Chandigarh.
The August 9 stir would be "100 times bigger" than what the country witnessed at Ram Lila ground, Baba Ramdev said.
"It will be a fight to the finish, a decisive battle. I can only say we will fight even if we have to give up our life for the nation and its people."
The yoga guru went round the Rock Garden, made of common household and other waste material, and met its creator Nek Chand.
Earlier, the Yoga guru had a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Lashing out at the UPA government, Baba Ramdev said, "It is not taking effective steps to bring back black money. Not a single rupee will come back from the steps the government is taking."
He said the treaties which India had with other nations would not help in bringing back black money.
On coal block allocation, Baba Ramdev said, "50 billion tonnes of coal were given at throwaway prices to some private companies. This amounts to deceiving the country."
On the functioning of CBI, he said, "Barring one or two occasions, the CBI has worked as a puppet of the government."
"The ruling party uses the CBI to terrorise opposition leaders. Till it is made completely free, no probe carried by it can be fair."
On his meeting with Nek Chand, Baba Ramdev said, "I have travelled around the world from Japan to Middle East to Europe, but Nek Chand has done special work."
Chief Minister Badal assured full support to Baba Ramdev on his proposed stir from August 9 to bring back black money stashed abroad.
Interacting with mediapersons along with the yoga guru, Mr Badal said the Centre had hardly taken any step to bring the black money which could be utilised for funding welfare schemes for the poor.
The SAD patriarch told Baba Ramdev that his party MPs would take up the issue in the upcoming session of Parliament.
Baba Ramdev has been on a politician-meeting spree for the last one week including members of both the ruling alliance and the Opposition.