Ramdev resumes fast

Attacks Prime Minister, says will return to Delhi to resume his ‘satyagraha’

After being barred from entering Uttar Pradesh, a defiant Ramdev resumed his agitation against corruption here early today and said he would return to New Delhi to continue his ‘satyagraha’.

There are fresh demands by local Congress leaders that there should be an income-tax assessment of all his assets and various companies which are being run or supported by him.

The total assets of Ramdev are believed to have run into crores of rupees.

The yoga guru continued to get more support from the ‘saffron brigade’. After Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, it was the turn of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti to back him on his fast against corruption.

“I fully support Ramdev, as he is fighting for the country,” she said in Haridwar.

Ramdev also thanked the Supreme Court for issuing notices to the central and Delhi governments and the Delhi police on what he said “brutal action” on him and his supporters at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, the site of his hunger strike, on Saturday night.

“Whenever I will get a chance, I will surely go back to Delhi for the satyagraha. But I will not break any law,” said the yoga guru, who was not allowed to enter Uttar Pradesh where he wanted to resume his fast at an area closer to the national capital. However, he said he would approach Chief Minister Mayawati for permission to address his supporters in Noida or Ghaziabad.

Ramdev also took a potshot at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he did not discharge his national duty. “I have no respect for the Prime Minister now,” he said.

After being evicted from the site of his hunger strike in Delhi late Saturday, he addressed a series of press conferences at his ashram in Haridwar. The yoga guru had begun his hunger strike on Saturday.

Ramdev reached his Haridwar ashram by Sunday afternoon dressed in a woman’s attire. Today, he was back in his saffron robe. He also justified wearing female clothes, saying women give birth to men and their status is superior.

“We will rally all over the nation, hold fast and dharnas; we will go to each house and tell people about the government’s action,” he said, making a scathing attack on the government for the police action at his camp. Ramdev said “the UPA government has been ruthless towards women, children, we still don’t know who has been thrown where? The government tried to suppress peaceful protests. One of our woman workers is very serious; she will probably not make it. We have got a list of the injured people who were mercilessly beaten up. There are thousands like them who did nothing wrong. This is a huge blemish on the government.”

“When did we say that we want a change in system? We spoke about Lok Pal and corruption. You don’t accept our demands, it’s fine; but this is not the way to beat women and children,” the yoga expert asserted.