Haridwar, June 7: Yoga guru Swami Ramdev today dismissed suggestions of a rift with the Anna Hazare-led team and said he has asked his supporters to join the day-long fast by the social activist and his aides in New Delhi tomorrow. “We are with them (Anna Hazare-led group). There is no difference between Anna and me,” Ramdev told reporters here. He was responding to suggestions that there was a rift between him and the Anna Hazare-led team.
“Thousands of our activists will go to Delhi to participate in the Anna movement (scheduled for tomorrow). We do not have any hope with this government. It (government) has stifled the Lokpal Bill movement,” he said. Hazare and other civil society members of the Lok Pal drafting committee will sit on a day-long fast to protest the crackdown on Ramdev's fast against corruption at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday night.
Ramdev said he will not end his fast till the government accepts his demands to curb corruption and blackmoney.
“Our fast is on from June 4. There should not be any confusion about it...it will continue till this whole country is up against or united against corruption and blackmoney. We are doing satyagraha to wake up this government. If they don't wake up then there will be protest..there will be huge protests in the whole country,” he said. Ramdev said many of his supporters are in Tihar jail in Delhi and asked the government to give their names so that he can help them.
Ramdev said: “I have come to know that some of them (supporters) are in Tihar jail. A list of all these people should be given to us so that we can do something for them.
“Police is not cooperating, infact, they are threatening our men against lodging complaint against brutality. We may take five to seven days to get the details of atrocities meted out to these innocent people,” the Yoga guru said.
It is very unfortunate that police restored to lathicharge against “innocent people, children, men and women at Ramlila Grounds,” he said.
“They were brutally beaten up. This has not happened even when the British ruled us,” he said.
“Our activists are already fasting and are on fast in 624 districts of the country. Our fast will continue but I have asked small children, sick and very old people not to undertake it,” he said.
Ramdev said the government should not “threaten him and his followers against holding peaceful protests, failing which, it would result into a mass movement against the government's unconstitutional behaviour.” Referring to police action at Ramlila grounds, he said there was a conspiracy to kill him that night.
“We are ready to go to jail if government does not accept our demands. The more the government tries to hide the truth, the stronger will we emerge to fight it,” he said. Meanwhile, family members of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh also expressed their support to Ramdev.
“We have come here to extend our support to Baba Ramdev. Englishmen have left us but black Englishmen (kale angrez) are now ruling us,” said Singh's relative Abhay Bhagat. PTI
