Agra, Jun 8: The Samajwadi Party today said the police action against Baba Ramdev's hunger strike in Delhi is condemnable but the yoga guru's announcement to raise an armed brigade is also not proper.
"In democracy no one has the right to wield lathi and shell tear gas...The Centre should be condemned for forcing a social reformer to flee in a women's dress," SP leader Mohd Azam Khan said.
However, Ramdev's announcement to raise an armed brigade is also improper, he said.
"I saw the press conference where Ramdev announced to raise an armed force. This is improper in democracy," he said at the SP national convention at Taarghar ground here.
Ramdev had yesterday warned the government that next time protesters would be armed and ready to retaliate. "We will build an army of 11,000 men and women," he had said.
The SP leader also hit out at Ramdev for sharing dais with right-wing Hindu leader Sadhvi Ritambhara, an accused in the Babri Masjid demolition.
"Can Ritambhara or Ashok Singhal remove corruption, or the BJP, whose national president was caught on camera for accepting a bribe of Rs one lakh? Never," he said.
Slamming those criticising Ramdev's fast against corruption, Khan said, "There is a new revolution (fight against corruption) in the country and it is welcome. It is not easy to raise voice for freedom (from corruption). (Some) people are not seeing what Anna Hazare wants or what happened to Baba Ramdev, but they are criticising them."
Khan said those fighting against corruption should come to Uttar Pradesh, which has the most corrupt government in the history of the country after Independence.
"Those who are fighting against corruption, come to Lucknow, we will stand behind you. UP needs a bigger revolution (against corruption)," he said.
Criticising the Centre for the crackdown on Ramdev at Ramlila ground on Saturday night, SP spokesman Mohan Singh said, "Such things were only heard during Hitler's regime."
Singh said initially the Centre gave permission to the yoga guru to hold the protest and even four of its ministers went to receive the Baba at the airport.
"What transpired all of a sudden that tear gas shells were lobbed at sleeping people in the middle of the night.
This was not heard in India before, such things were heard during Hitler's era," he said. PTI
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