Launching a joint agitation against corruption and black money, yoga guru Ramdev and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare started a day-long fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Sunday.
The fast has been called to mark one year of Ramdev’s last agitation at Ramlila ground, from where he was arrested in the middle of the night between June 3 and 4 last year.
Before beginning the fast, Ramdev and Hazare went to Tikri Kalan village in Delhi’s outskirts and paid tributes to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at a memorial there. They then visited Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. Both sat there in meditation for a while, and then went to nearby Shahid Park.
Ramdev was accompanied by his close aide Acharya Balkrishna, while Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi accompanied Hazare.
At Shahid park, Ramdev garlanded the statues of martyrs.
The two then along with supporters reached Jantar Mantar around 10 a.m.
At the fast site, pictures of Rajbala, a 51-year-old woman who died after being injured during the alleged police action on Ramdev supporters at the Ramlila ground agitation last year, were on display.
Earlier, at Tikri Kalan on the Delhi-Haryana border in west Delhi, Ramdev told reporters: “This is the beginning, the movement will gain momentum and by August it will take a huge form.”
“Crores of people in the country will be standing with us. The government needs to take concrete steps against black money as we have demanded,” he said.
He also added that the sit-in is being held by supporters in various states.
Ramdev is expected to spell out a strategy for the 2014 general elections in this agitation.
Police have made elaborate arrangements for the sit-in at Jantar Mantar. Besides Delhi Police personnel, 20 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed and CCTV cameras installed to maintain security.
Update:
“The prime minister said that ‘I am honest’, but the country does not see you as an individual,” said Ramdev, who along with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare is on a day-long fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“The nation respects you for being an honest individual, but you should also be honest politically. The country sees you as the person holding the highest constitutional post. Your personal honesty is not enough… Keep your cabinet honest,” he said.
He demanded that the government disclose the amount of black money in foreign accounts.
Ramdev termed their anti-corruption agitation as “the second struggle for independence”.
Starting his speech with slogans like “Vande Mataram”, “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, he said common people are above elected representatives.
“The elected representatives say they are above all, but the constitution of India says people are above all,” he said.