The Times of India
Saffron is the ruling hue at Ramdev's fast
Abantika Ghosh, TNN | Jun 5, 2011, 04.26am IST
NEW DELHI: While Congress leaders fumed at Baba Ramdev's alleged affiliation to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing the yoga guru of accepting funds for his high-profile satyagraha from saffron organizations, at ground zero in Ramlila Maidan there was little effort to hide those leanings.
The signs were everywhere, from the fiery Sangh Parivar leader Sadhvi Ritambhara on stage to the fluttering banners of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, Arya Veer and Veerangana Dal and Arya Samaj fluttering along the walls and inside the mammoth pandal. There was also a prominent portrait of the RSS style Bharat Mata immediately below the stage – possibly mindful of the criticism Anna Hazare's stage had garnered for the same image – besides volunteers in khaki shorts and orange caps serving water. The entire tent was a medley of saffron and white.
The stage on Saturday was overwhelmingly saffron though elements of religious diversity had been carefully factored in with token presence of some Muslim and Jain leaders. The master of ceremonies kept reminding the eager audience how whenever the issue of reviving the country and ridding it of its evils had been raised, sants had always been in front and they would continue to be so now. "Those who politics had divided, sants will unite," he said.
References to the mutts of Hardwar, Benares and Mathura as well as the Swaminarayan sect were frequent and unabashed. By afternoon, there was talk about VHP leaders like Ashok Singhal coming to join the fast though there was no announcement from the stage.
Rithambara, in her speech lauding Ramdev's initiative, said that if the country had more people like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, saints would not need to go on fasts, as the audience broke into delirious applause.
In the evening, when questioned about the Sadhvi's presence on the dais and her purported association with Babri Masjid demolition, Ramdev sought to distance himself from it by saying: "I cannot talk about her personal issues but I know her for many decades and have a very high regard for her."
He also sought to answer the Congress charge of RSS funding by saying that the entire expense for the elaborate tent and other arrangements had been met by "donations made by the people present here''. To add drama in his characteristic style, he asked, "How many of you are willing to make more contributions if required?" Little wonder that several thousand hands went up.
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The Economic Times
5 Jun, 2011, 02.48AM IST, Binoy Prabhakar,ET Bureau
Baba Ramdev Vs Anna Hazare: A Quick Guide about the similarities and differences
Anna vs Baba
At first glance, Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare are as different as chalk and cheese. One is a yoga practitioner while the other is a social activist. One sports a ferocious beard, commands his 46-year-old supple body into wicked poses and wears bright saffron loincloth. The other is a frail, clean-shaven septuagenarian who won't be caught dead in anything but white khadi.
They also disagree on the scope of the Lok Pal Bill. That's where the differences end. The similarities are multiple. To list some, the two are united in their fight against graft, share a passion for political activism, have a huge following and have taken controversial stands on issues. Here is a look at the two men who are dominating headlines and negotiating with the government.
PET PEEVES
Baba Ramdev owns a Scottish manor, but in many ways, he is a throwback to the yogis of Old India. He wants a ban on English. He frowns on Coca-Cola. He abhors Western outfits. The WHO, to him, is a western conspiracy. He is a bachelor who cannot tolerate homosexuals. He has also taken aim at `500 and `1,000 notes, saying they are a cause of graft.
Anna, a teetotaller, has banned tobacco, cigarettes and bidis in his village, Ralegan Siddhi near Pune. He also chafes at alcohol use. The villagers also do without cable TV, another of Anna's dislikes. The people of Ralegan Siddhi are vegetarian converts. Anna also hates big families: to cut them to size, the men in the village undergo vasectomy.
EASY SOLUTIONS
Baba wants to cut off the hands of those guilty of corruption . As if that is not enough, he also favours hanging until death perpetrators of graft.
Surprise, surprise! Hanging is a solution dear to Anna too. Erring villagers are also flogged publicly in Ralegan Siddhi. Never mind that one calls himself a yogi and the other, a Gandhian.
PULLING A 'FAST' ONE
Baba has long been shouting hoarse about black money. But Anna's Big Fast in April had snatched the issue from right
under his feet. Baba's rants were beginning to sound like a broken record. His fast has propelled his cause back into relevance.
Anna has used hunger strikes to push his causes for more than four decades. The Jantar Mantar act in April was a blockbuster event, with fans, the media and politicians descending to pay obeisance.
WHAT NEXT
Both men have kept everyone guessing about their entry into politics. Swathes of followers are a temptation. But chances are they will not. Say, if Nitin Gadkari - though difficult, try imagining the BJP chief on a fast - begins a protest, will the government give in? That should answer if Anna and Baba
will float a political party.
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cnn - ibn
Saffron hue at Baba's protest upsets Anna's team
Pallavi GhoshPallavi Ghosh , CNN-IBN
Updated Jun 04, 2011 at 09:34pm IST
Click to play video
New Delhi: Hours after Baba Ramdev's fast officially kicked off on Saturday, the battle over corruption began acquiring a Right versus Left hue. This provided the already embattled UPA government an unexpected reason to smile with fissures in the civil society ranks.
Lokpal committee member Prashant Bhushan said, "I am uncomfortable and very unhappy by the way Baba Ramdev has allowed communal elements like Sadhvi Ritambhara to use his platform. One might not be able to stop them from supporting you but you can't allow them to use your platform."
The trigger for Bhushan's tirade was the image of the Sadhvi Ritambhara-Baba Ramdev's joint-show at the Ramlila Maidan, forcing leading civil rights activist Swami Agnivesh to be even more direct.
"I feel sad that a person accused of Babri Masjid demolition sits on the campaign… Communalism should be kept away from such campaigns," said Swami Agnivesh.
Activist Anna Hazare too changed the shade of his stand he had taken earlier in the week, when he had agreed to join Baba Ramdev at the Ramlila grounds.
Anna Hazare said, "I will take a decision on whether to join the campaign or not only after I reach Delhi tomorrow."
The Left too jumped to counter the Sadhvi-Baba joint-show, questioning the mix of a religious leader and a political platform.
"But if the religious leader suddenly tries to come to a place of a political platform, that becomes a little mysterious," said Gurudas Dasgupta of the Communist Party of India.
The government walking the extra mile for Baba Ramdev was perhaps the result of their worry over a unified civil society, but with saffron being the prominent colour at Ramlila grounds on Saturday, the relief came quicker.
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Hindustan Times
Medha Terms Baba’s protest biased and extravagant
Pooja Domadia, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, June 05, 2011
On the first day of yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s fast against black money and corruption, several criticisms have hit his campaign. Social activist Medha Patkar said that the campaign is not secular as it is propagated to be. Sadhvi Rithambara, an active member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) who i
s known for her anti-Muslim oratory, was on the stage with Ramdev on Saturday.
Reacting to her presence, Patkar said, “The movement is not secular as a right wing outfit like RSS is openly supporting Ramdev. RSS supported the anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare too but their members were not allowed on stage.”
However, the representatives of Baba Ramdev’s organisation — Bharat Swabhiman Nyas in Mumbai said the allegation is false as these groups are voluntarily supporting Ramdev.
“Baba has not invited any group as such. Anyone who feels that the issues Baba is fighting for are important can come and support. We are not against any political party or person but against a larger issue like corruption,” said Abhay Kabra, Navi Mumbai President, BSN.
Patkar also opposed the grand arrangements for the strike.
“If this is the way protests go on, the face of people’s movement will change. The way money is being pumped in for lavish arrangements, we wonder about the source of income. All the donors would be big corporate associations,” she said.
“It is unfortunate that such protests are given importance by the government whereas common people are ignored,” Patkar added.
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