Parties flay attack on Ramdev

NEW DELHI — Parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) joined Team Anna yesterday in condemning the ink attack on yoga guru Baba Ramdev here.

“The ink throwing on Baba Ramdev is shocking and deserves outright condemnation,” BJP leader Sushma Swaraj posted on microblogging site Twitter.

Party leader Arun Jaitley said the attacker should be sent to jail.

“We strongly condemn it. He (Ramdev) is a big social and religious leader who has a good reputation and is spreading his movement against corruption and black money,” Jaitley told reporters.

“Those opposing can criticise... we condemn attacking such personality,” he said.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said the practice of attacking personalities was spreading “like a disease”.

“It is spreading like a disease. Someone threw a shoe at George Bush, and so all are following it,” he said. “Ramdev is a good person, he has done good work. I condemn it.”

He said such attackers needed to be punished.

Inke dimag ka screw dheela ho gaya hai, kanoon se kasna padega (their mental screws have loosened, it needs to be fixed legally),” he added.

Team Anna member Manish Sisodia said the attack was an attempt to divert attention from the issue of corruption and black money being raised by Ramdev.

“The person who attacked Ramdev represents the corrupt powers. They have done this so that atten- tion could be diverted from the issue of black money and corruption that Baba Ramdev is raising,” Sisodia said.

A man, identified as Kamran Siddiqui, threw black ink at Baba Ramdev while he was addressing journalists at the Constitution Club here yesterday.

Siddiqui was detained by the police after he was caught and roughed up by Ramdev’s supporters within the club premises.

A nonplussed Ramdev remarked later, “What have I done to deserve this?”

The offender was caught and roughed up by Ramdev’s supporters. He was repeatedly slapped and he bled from the mouth.

The person has been identified as Kamran Siddiqui. He is a NGO worker and was offended by Ramdev’s remark about Batla encounter.

Reacting after the incident, Ramdev said he had asked for the black money being returned to the country and instead got black ink.

“Those who fight for truth have to pay the price. We are fighting to get black money back to the country and instead I got black ink... What did I do to deserve this?” Ramdev said to reporters later.

“This incident won’t affect me. We will continue to fight against the odds, come what may,” he added.

Alleging that he is being “victimised” for raising issues like black money and corruption, Yoga guru Ramdev yesterday said he was willing to put behind the past and talk to the government if it takes a clear stand on three issues including change in the system.

Addressing a press conference here, Ramdev also indirectly attacked the Congress, saying except one party at the Centre no other political outfit has a problem in declaring black money as national wealth.

“For a long time I have been talking about black money and corruption. For this reason, several officials from different agencies have been deputed against me and my supporters. They have set the CBI after my aide Balkrishna,” he alleged. — IANS