The yoga guru says he will 'fast unto death' from June 4 if his demands are not met.
If you thought fasting season had ended with the government bowing to social activist Anna Hazare’s demands, think again. On Wednesday, popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev threatened to undergo a “fast unto death” to begin from June 4 after declaring a “Satyagraha against corruption”.
Baba Ramdev has three demands he wants met — declaring ‘black money’ frozen in foreign banks and which he estimates to be Rs4 lakh crores as national asset, slapping a ‘war against nation’ charge and death penalty on people who send money abroad and withdrawing all high currency notes.
“Corruption has reached a pinnacle and these problems need to be tackled to save the country. If all our demands are not met, we will fast unto death,” said Ramdev at a press conference held in Vaibhav Chambers, Bandra Kurla Complex where he declared his ‘Bhrastachar Virodho Satyagraha’.
“My efforts are on since the past five years against corruption and this movement was launched in September in Gujarat. Crores will be participating across the country,” said Ramdev. In a written note signed by him that was given to the press, he also mentions the central government will be responsible for casualties due to the fast.
Ramdev has sent out invites to all prominent faces from the civil society to join the satyagraha. However, Shanti Bhushan and Prakash Bhushan, against whom corruption charges have been recently levelled, have not been invited. “I do not want to get into controversies and feel that even if someone is corrupt, he can be punished. But a good system needs to be in place for that to happen,” said Ramdev.
On the irony of a non-violent protest seeking violent ‘death’ as punishment, Baba said that the corrupt “needed to go”. “Anna Hazare agrees with me on this demand,” he said of the views civil society members hold of his demand.
When questioned why he did not announce these demands during Anna’s fast, Ramdev said, “Since corruption is a big target we need to achieve, we need to keep fighting and raising issues.”
He rubbished claims that his activism was a result of an agreement between him, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). On his party’s political ambitions, he said they will only work towards creating pressure for a cleaner and more transparent political system. “My party will only be there for political intervention. I have already stated that I will not take up any post,” said Ramdev.
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