PM failed, I used Shivaji's tactics to survive: Ramdev

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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Monday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he had failed to discharge his duty.

He also justified wearing woman’s clothes to escape during the police crackdown in Delhi’s Ramlila ground, saying like warrior king Shivaji he too had adopted survival tactics.

“I have all the respect for the Prime Minister of the country on a personal level, but he did not discharge his national duty,” Ramdev told reporters here a day after Delhi police acted against him and his supporters during his fast against corruption and forced him back to his ashram here. He justified wearing women’s clothes to disguise himself.

“I preferred to adopt the survival tactics of warrior king Shivaji and wearing a woman’s attire is not a sign of weakness. A woman gives birth to a man and her status is superior,” he said. Ramdev also thanked the Supreme Court for its notice to the Central and Delhi governments on the developments after on Saturday midnight, and said the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women too should follow suit.

“The cognisance taken by Supreme Court on its own against this injustice, we thank (it) from our hearts. The entire country is grateful,” Ramdev said. Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the apex court on Monday asked the Central and the Delhi governments to reply to its notices within two weeks. Ramdev said his supporters were planning to move the NHRC and the NCW over the incidents of Saturday midnight in which “atrocities were committed against women and children”.

He also contradicted Delhi police's version of events. “The Delhi police are lying. They beat up people. They said that people were injured in a stampede. None of our workers provoked violence.”

“If (Mahatma) Gandhi was alive, he would have cried,” Ramdev said. He was on Sunday accused by union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal of being a face of the rightwing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. But Ramdev said except the Congress, all other political parties “are supporting me and they are supporting me from their hearts. I am getting support from everywhere, including spiritual and religious organisations”.