Govt rules out talks with Baba, Cong readies combat strategy

The government has ruled out any mediation or talks with Baba Ramdev after activist Swami Agnivesh approached senior leader and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in this regard.

The government has ruled out any mediation or talks with Baba Ramdev after activist Swami Agnivesh approached senior leader and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in this regard.

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Instead, the Congress will aggressively counter the BJP’s “orchestrated campaigns” in the backdrop of Anna Hazare and Ramdev’s anti-corruption movement.

On Friday, Agnivesh met Mukherjee to urge him to ask Ramdev to give up his fast.

He offered to mediate with the yoga guru as also with the Maoists. Mukherjee, in turn, consulted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The government decided there was no need for Agnivesh to mediate. At best, he could “advise” Ramdev to give up fast.

On its part, the Congress came out with an action plan to propagate its views on different issues to counter the BJP’s campaign, including its four-day agitation from June 23 on corruption.

Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said senior central and state leaders as well as Union ministers would hold rallies and media interactions in all state capitals before June 30.

He also released a 15-page booklet “The Congress View on Present Situation” which details the actions taken by the UPA against corruption and black money, the theme of the Hazare-Ramdev campaigns.

The party named the RSS as the fountainhead of the sinister design and the BJP as its political instrument to impose their regressive agenda and push India into the medieval age.

It said the BJP should hang its head in shame for the corruption in Karnataka, MP and Gujarat. Dwivedi attacked the BJP for describing as the country's "blackest day" the police action at Ramlila Grounds.

“The blackest day was when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated,” Dwivedi said.