BJP targets PM, Sonia for police crackdown on Ramdev
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The entire Opposition on Sunday slammed the police action against Baba Ramdev’s hunger strike as a “shameful” chapter in India's democracy with the main Opposition party accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of ordering the crackdown.
The BJP announced it would hold protests across the country against corruption and "police brutality" against Ramdev and his followers.
"The incident that took place yesterday at midnight at the Ramlila Ground is one that has blemished democracy. Those people were protesting against corruption and black money through democratic means. But Dr Singh and Sonia Gandhi ordered the atrocities on these people," BJP president Nitin Gadkari said in Lucknow.
In Delhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said the police action was carried out at the directions of the Prime Minister and had the "full approval" of the Congress president.
"This is not democracy... The police cannot alone had taken such a step. It had the approval of the Prime Minister and full approval of the Congress president," Ms Swaraj said.
Her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, said while the government refuses to take action against separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani who held a programme in the capital, it took action against a "patriotic sanyasi".
In Patna, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar described the use of “brute force” to evict Ramdev and his supporters as a "major blow to democracy". "It is a major blow to democracy and an attack on the democratic rights of the people... It is also an attack on the fundamental rights of the citizens," Kumar said.
"As many as four Central ministers and top officials were holding parleys with Ramdev for several days and reverentially describing him as ‘Baba’. What compelled the government to change its tactics and take extreme actions against the protesters?" he said.
The CPI(M) termed the police action as "deplorable, shortsighted" and unwarranted" and said there was no law and order issue involved.
At the same time, it found fault with the yoga guru for making the issue of black money "farcical" by entering into a "secret agreement" with government.
The CPI alleged the "unwarranted and unjustified" police action "exposed the government's malafide intentions in misleading" the people on the issue of corruption.
In Bengaluru, Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati requested the Supreme Court to order a probe into the police action by National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Women and National SC/ST Commission as "justice cannot be expected from the Centre" in the issue.
Terming the crackdown at Ramlila Maidan as "inhuman", "undemocratic" and "condemnable", she said strong punishment should be given to the guilty so that such "goondaism" is not unleashed on anybody sitting in dharna.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said in Lucknow that the police action against Baba Ramdev and his supporters showed that the "Central government has lost its mental balance".
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