Muslims, Dalits should get equal rights: Ramdev

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, slamming the government on Saturday, said he supported Muslims in their demand for amending Article 341 of the Indian constitution that excludes them and Christian Dalits from reservation.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, slamming the government on Saturday, said he supported Muslims in their demand for amending Article 341 of the Indian constitution that excludes them and Christian Dalits from reservation.

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"I did not know till recently that Article 341 does not cover Muslims and Christian Dalits. This is not fair. A Dalit is a Dalit -- whether he is a Hindu, Christian or a Muslim," Ramdev said here.

He was speaking at a conference on 'Basic Issues' organised by former parliamentarian Ilyas Azmi's All India United Muslim Morcha at the India Islamic Cultural Centre.

"All Dalits should get equal rights. We will have to struggle to achieve this. We will launch a struggle and stand along (with them) in this fight," he said.

The yoga guru will launch June 3 a series of protests against the government demanding that it back black money stashed away in foreign countries.

Attacking the government for not caring about the basic rights of Muslims, he said his orientation towards the minority community is "nothing new".

"We are with our Muslim brothers and sisters. My ashram has more than 3,000 Muslims. We have no religion there, nor any (political) party, temple or mosque," he said.