Ramdev continues to divide Cong, govt

The handling of yoga guru Ramdev’s protest continues to divide the government and the Congress, which leads the ruling coalition. Aurangzeb Naqshbandi reports.

The handling of yoga guru Ramdev’s protest continues to divide the government and the Congress, which leads the ruling coalition.

HT Image

After senior leader Digvijaya Singh, now the party mouthpiece, Sandesh (message), has questioned the government’s decision to send four ministers — Pranab Mukherjee, Kapil Sibal, PK Bansal and Subodh Kant Sahay — to the airport on June 1 to talk Ramdev out of anti-corruption protest plan.

“Was it necessary for four ministers to go to the airport?” the editorial in the magazine's latest issue asks. The government should respond to the demands of the civil society, but it should be “done in a way that does not compromise the dignity and rightful authority of an elected government”, it says.

There was talk in the party that the issue might be withheld. But Anil Shastri, who edits Sandesh, told HT that the May-June issue was released Thursday evening. The journal is published every month in Hindi and English.

Shastri has been critical of the government’s response to the entire Ramdev episode. “Indiraji or Rajivji would not have sent their ministers to airport to placate a ‘Baba’ arriving in a private jet,” he had tweeted. He had also described as unfortunate and avoidable the eviction of Ramdev and supporters from the Ramlila Maidan on June 5.