New Delhi: Congress today launched a scathing attack on yoga guru Ramdev over his alleged remarks against Jawaharlal Nehru and asked the BJP whether it endorses them. “Congress party strongly condemns the extremely, regrettable, reprehensible and deplorable statement of Baba Ramadev on India's first Prime Minister,” Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha told reporters in his maiden press briefing from the AICC podium.
Jha, who is one of the 36 media panelists from the party, faced a barrage of questions from the media today. On Sunday, the yoga guru had hit out at the Congress for targeting BJP prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and calling him ‘maut ka saudagar'. Ramdev, reportedly said if Modi is branded ‘maut ka saudagar' (merchant of death), then Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a bigger mass murderer.
Attacking Ramdev for making “very insulting remarks to Nehru”, Jha said that the leader was a statesman recognised worldwide and hence the yoga guru using such words against him is “extremely pathetic”.
“I want to ask the BJP whether they endorse the brazen and blatant comment of Baba Ramdev,” he asked. Jha also mocked the Yoga Guru for giving suggestions on economy to BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi saying his talk of economic freedom is some sort of “freedom from economics”.
Ramdev had earlier demanded abolition of all kinds of taxes and pitched for a single tax in the form of ‘Banking Transaction Tax' if Modi became Prime Minister. Modi, BJP President Rajnath Singh and Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley had attended an event organised by Ramdev here yesterday, where they expressed agreement with his economic proposals.
