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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Ramdev hijacks graft stage for politics

Ramdev hijacks graft stage for politics

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published Published on Apr 9, 2011   modified Modified on Apr 9, 2011
Anna Hazare's anti-corruption agitation dangerously skidded off track on its fourth day when Swami Ramdev politicized the campaign in a speech he delivered at Jantar Mantar where the 72-year old Hazare has located his fast unto death.

In an obvious allusion to Sonia Gandhi, Ramdev said those who are born in this land ( India) are rishis and that he doesn't want to talk about those born abroad. He added in the same breath that he neither wants an interpretation of who he is pointing at nor would he want to elaborate upon what that may mean. In effect, he used up precious minutes of his speech to make a point he claimed he didn't want to make.

This, when Hazare has painstakingly reiterated since the first day that he will brook no politicizing of the campaign. On April 6, Day 2 of the agitation, politicians O P Chauthala and Uma Bharati were booed away. That day, the rowdy protesters were later admonished by Anna who said that "anyone political is welcome to sit among the people, but the dais is not meant for politics".

Hazare's keen supporter Ramdev, however, could not restrain himself. Anna Hazare's quiet demeanour, intensive fast, the drained and quiet men fasting with him for the last four days were in stark contrast to the flamboyant media-savvy Ramdev swishing about on the dais in a Ramlila Ground style exhorting the crowds to fight corruption.

There was little resonance to his foreigner remark, or to his point that "cricket se nyaya nahi milega". People turned to each other in confusion at both remarks. "It wasn't required on this forum," shrugged a housewife who had come from Dwarka to hear the guru she follows keenly on TV.

The TV guru started his speech by raising slogans "Anna aage baro, hum tumhare saath hai" and "Vande Mataram" and said the corrupt should be hanged. He questioned why the audience was not at its loudest best. After which it was much rhetoric over corruption: much spoken, little said.

Jantar Mantar was packed with followers who made it to ground zero to hear Ramdev. Once on the stage, his crowd-pulling and crowd management skills were obvious. His "Raasta banaye, baithe," is all it took for the policemen to calm the crowds who were losing their cool.

But after that, the speech meandered into issues of state corruption. He also talked about the Lokpal Bill, but with the public barely familiar with the issues, there was little attention among the crowds. As Ramdev spoke, smaller groups towards the back moved away.

The Times of India, 9 April, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ramdev-hijacks-graft-stage-for-politics/articleshow/7922725.cms


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