HP Land row: BJP to stand by Ramdev

A day after the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh took over the land given on lease to Baba Ramdev’s trust, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came forward in support of the yoga guru.

“We will stand by Baba Ramdev, as his movement is in the interest of the country,”said Satpal Satti, president of the party’s state unit.

After cancelling the 99-year-lease to the Yogpeeth Trust, the state police Friday took over the 28 acre land and buildings and posted police force at the construction site in Sadhupul some 55 km from Shimla .

Baba Ramdev was scheduled to arrive on February 27 at Sadhupul to open the first phase of the ayurveda hospital yoga centre and food park here.

The previous BJP government in 2010 had allotted the land to the trust for a token lease of Rs 1 a year for 99 years .

The market value of this land was Rs 35.4 crore.

State chief secretary S Roy has said Baba Ramdev is welcome to visit the state but he will not be allowed to carry out any activity at the site, which was sunder the state government's possession now.

“The state government will appeal to him (Ramdev) to cancel his proposed 27 February inauguration programme. We hope that there will be no law and order issue,” Roy said.

The move to hand over the land to Ramdev was strongly opposed by the Opposition Congress in 2010.

The now ruling Congress is also opposed to the undue favour as the deal has been signed in the name of Acharya Balkrishan who is being probed for being a Nepalese national , state revenue minister Kaul Singh said.

The matter was discussed at length in the cabinet meeting earlier this week. It reportedly described the land lease to Ramdev’s Trust as “illegal”.