Vote any party that can defeat Congress in Gujarat: Ramdev

Avoiding any direct references to his support to Modi in the upcoming state assembly elections in Gujarat, yoga guru Baba Ramdev said that people should vote for any party that can defeat Congress. 

Ramdev, who was in town to announce the fourth leg of his 'Swabhiman Yatra' from Alampur village in Gujarat on October 30 where besides the usual yoga exercise for healthy and disease free living, said that he was against Congress due to the lakhs of crores of rupees the party has cost the nation. The yatra is likely to go on till December 10 and will feature discourses directed against the Congress.

Hinting at his support for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the future PM, Ramdev said, "There is a larger national agenda wherein we want a party that will eradicate corruption in the country under a national leader who has links with Gujarat." Talking about activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal's allegations against BJP president Nitin Gadkari, Ramdev said, "I am not Gadkari's spokesperson. But while Congress' scams have robbed the nation's treasury of lakhs of crores of rupees from jeep scam to 2G to now jijaji (Vadra) scam, Gadkari's case is technical scam wherein there has been misinformation of addresses. I am asking (the people of Gujarat) to vote any party that can defeat the Congress party. However, a scam is a scam whether by Congress or BJP. If Gadkari has done anything wrong then proper investigation should take place and should be punished as per law if found guilty." When asked about BJP's support in his protest at Ramlila Maidan, Ramdev said that except Congress, all other parties had expressed their support and not just BJP. "This fight is not about political parties but about nation's interests," he added.

When asked that Gujarat has not had a Lokpal since many years, Ramdev said, "The new government now will have to appoint a Lokpal."