The entire opposition on Sunday slammed the police action against Baba Ramdev’s hunger strike as a “shameful” chapter in India’s democracy with BJP accusing prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of ordering the crackdown.
BJP announced it would hold protests across the country against corruption and “police brutality” against Ramdev and his followers.
“The incident that took place on Saturday at midnight at the Ramlila ground is one that has blemished democracy. Those people were protesting against corruption and black money through democratic means. But prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi ordered the atrocities on these people,” BJP president Nitin Gadkari said in Lucknow.
In Delhi, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said the police action was carried out at the directions of the prime minister and had the “full approval” of the Congress president.
“This is not democracy... the police cannot alone had taken such a step. It had the approval of the prime minister and full approval of the Congress president,” Swaraj said.
Her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley said while government refuses to take action against separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani who held a programme in the capital, it took action against a “patriotic sanyasi”.
Nitish Kumar: In Patna, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar described the use of ‘brute force’ to evict Ramdev and his supporters as a “major blow to democracy”.
“As many as four central ministers and top officials were holding parleys with Ramdev for several days and reverentially describing him as ‘Baba’. What compelled the government to change its tactics and take extreme actions against the protesters?” he said.
Terming the crackdown at Ram Lila Maidan as “inhuman”, “undemocratic” and “condemnable”, she said strong punishment should be given to the guilty so that such “goondaism” is not unleashed on anybody sitting in dharna.
CPI(M): The Left termed the police action as “deplorable, shortsighted and unwarranted” and said there was no law and order issue involved. It found fault with the yoga guru for making the issue of black money “farcical” by entering into a “secret agreement” with government.
Mayawati: In Bangalore, Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati requested the Supreme Court to order a probe into the police action by National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Women and National SC/ST Commission as “justice cannot be expected from the Centre” in the issue.
Samajwadi Party: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said in Lucknow that the police action against Baba Ramdev and his supporters showed that the “central government has lost its mental balance”.
TDP: TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has strongly condemned the police action against Baba Ramdev.
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