Deciding to go ahead with his fast against corruption and black money, Baba Ramdev held “bhajans” and yoga sessions here early on Saturday amidst thousands of his supporters.
With the talks between him and the government failing to reach any breakthrough on Friday, the yoga guru held “bhajans” in the wee hours on Saturday followed by yoga sessions even as his associates kept announcing the participation of various religious leaders in the stir.
Union ministers Kapil Sibal and Subodh Kant Sahay had held a marathon meeting on Friday with Ramdev to persuade him to not go ahead with his indefinite fast.
However, the talks failed to reach any breakthrough with the yoga guru insisting that all his demands be met with completely. Seated on an elevated platform, the saffron-clad Baba delivered a speech at the the sprawling Ramlila ground here, which saw people from across the city descending to the site.
Ramdev arrived at the stage at around 04.50 hrs to a huge round of applause from his followers. “Nothing is impossible, everything is possible and we are not going to be defeated,” he told the gathering, referring to bringing back of black money stashed in tax havens abroad.
A battery of media persons have been waiting at the protest site from early morning. A number of volunteers were also seen at various intersections across the capital, directing Ramdev’s followers who were headed towards the ground.
A large number of security personnel, including women from Rapid Action Force, were deployed at the protest site to ensure no untoward incident takes place. A manual frisking is also being carried out at the entrance.
The crowd cheered Ramdev whenever he spoke about bringing back black money, declaring it as a national asset and other issues of corruption. A number of RSS pracharaks in their uniforms were also seen at the site, keenly listening to the discourse.