P Chidambaran accuses Ramdev of running political agitation backed by RSS

In a sharp attack on Baba Ramdev, home minister P Chidambaram today accused him of running a political agitation fully backed by the RSS and its front organisations and warned him against raising an armed force.

Breaking his silence over Sunday's police crackdown on the yoga guru and his followers at Ramlila ground here, Chidambaram listed out instances when RSS or its "front organisations" had in recent weeks pledged their support to Ramdev.

"So, this is not an agitation by a yoga teacher or yoga guru, this is a political agitation which is fully backed by the RSS and its front organisations," he said in an interview to Doordarshan and at a press conference.

Asked about Ramdev's announcement that he would set up an 11,000-strong force to deal with police and anti-social elements attempting to disrupt his movement, Chidambaram said that this showed his "true colours and true intention".

"Let him do that, the law would deal with that," he asserted during the press conference at which he declined to answer questions on allegations against Ramdev and his close aide Balkrishna saying there will be an opportunity to answer these questions in future.

The home minister also disclosed that government had decided in advance that if Ramdev goes on a fast-unto-death, he would be denied permission and told to move out of Delhi. That decision was not enforced earlier because the government was engaged in a dialogue.

"Ultimately, when the talks failed and he went back on his words, police was told to enforce the decision," he said, adding 39 people were injured in police action.

Accusing the RSS and its front organisations of backing the yoga guru's agitation, Chidambaram said, "I think you should know who is behind Ramdev. On April 2, the RSS announced the formation of an anti-corruption front with Ramdev as its patron and K Govindacharya as its convenor. On May 12, the ABVP, which is the student front organisation of RSS, floated a new organisation called the Youth Against Corruption and publicly declared that it would coordinate with Ramdev."

The home minister said that on May 28 VHP leader Ashok Singhal had issued a similar circular and a number of people belonging to RSS and ABVP are "fully and closely working with Ramdev."

Rubbishing the comparison of the police action to the Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Chidambaram said, "that is a shameful comparison. One lady has been critically injured and I have already expressed my deep sense of sadness. We are reaching out to the family. To compare this with Jalianwala Bagh betrays colossal ignorance."