Prashant Bhushan unhappy with Sadhvi sharing dais with Ramdev

Member of Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee Prasant Bhusan today said he was 'unhappy' at the presence of Sangh Parivar leader Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais, where Baba Ramdev is on hunger-strike against black money, saying the platform should not be allowed to be used by "communal" forces.

Member of Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee Prasant Bhusan today said he was 'unhappy' at the presence of Sangh Parivar leader Sadhvi Ritambhara on the dais, where Baba Ramdev is on hunger-strike against black money, saying the platform should not be allowed to be used by "communal" forces.

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"I am unhappy with the presence of Sadhvi Ritambhara. You cannot prevent anyone from supporting a cause but the platform should not be allowed to be used by communal forces," Bhusan told newsmen after an interactive sesssion here on 'Can Lokpal Bill Instil Integrity'.

Bhusan said he found most of Ramdev's demands reasonable although he disagreed with the yoga guru's demand for death penalty for the corrupt. He also expressed doubt about the Baba's reported claim that the government has conceded 99 per cent of his demands.

"I don't think that the government has conceded 99 per cent of the demands. Only two or three of his demands have been conceded," he said. Questioning the government's assurance of tabling the Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament, he said the process of drafting the legislation was slow.

"The government, however, can still table the Bill during the monsoon session only if it is more serious about doing so and holds more meetings and consultations," he said.