Mixed reviews for Baba online

Baba Ramdev’s agitation, among one of the most discussed issues on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, seems to have 80 million internet users hooked. However, while Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption garnered largely positive and rave followers, Baba Ramdev is attracting mixed reactions, including a fair share of ire from web users.

“Before barking about black money, let Baba Ramdev explain his private jet and assets worth thousands of crore,” tweeted Tinu Cherian yesterday. Pawan Bharadwaj voiced his opinion on Twitter, “Govt says Ramdev is more reasonable than Hazare. Is ‘reasonable’ is the new ‘flexible’?”

Opinions flowed freely on Facebook too, a social networking sites claiming 25 million users in India. “Baba Ramdev should spare the Ramlila Maidan and move the show to the Little Cumbrae island, a Scottish isle he bought in 2009 for 2 million pounds,” wrote Pushkar K.

Industrialist Vijay Mallaya wrote on Twitter, “Are hunger strikes by well known people true democracy and something we should be proud of? I wonder what’s the role of Parliament then?”

Brahma Chellaney, well-known author, commentator reflected on Twitter, " Absence of a credible, clean opposition in India has led to Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare becoming symbols of popular anger against corruption."

Keywords like ‘Ramlila’, ‘Ramdev’, ‘Yoga’ and even ‘Anna’ were trending (most popular) on Twitter. According to Twirus, a website maintaining statistics for trending topics per region and language, tweets containing ‘Baba Ramdev’ were coming at more than 2,800 per minute this morning. Anupam Kher, who had participated actively during Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption and pursued the subject on his Twitter page, wrote, “Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev are two sides of the same coin.”

Baba Ramdev’s Facebook page — which has over 65,000 followers — claimed that every hour, more than 2,000 people were connecting to his movement through social networking. Bharat Swabhiman Trust’s official Facebook page declared, “Hundreds of Indian Americans will hold meetings and observe fast across 13 cities in the US tomorrow. Fasts are being planned in Washington, New York, Houston, Tampa, New Jersey and Los Angeles.”