Ramdev, Kejriwal beg to differ at ‘united show’ :- 4.6.12-TOI

Yoga Guru Opposes Tirade Against PM

New Delhi: Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev came together on Sunday for an intensified campaign against corruption and black money but the effort to stage a united front was marred by bickering over whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should be attacked directly.
    While Ramdev began the day with a rousing speech in which he called the PM “an honest man who must now set his Cabinet right’’, Arvind Kejriwal of Team Anna went directly after the PM on the coal blocks auction issue. In a first for the anti-graft campaign, Kejriwal virtually questioned the PM’s integrity by citing various irregularities when he was also in charge of the coal ministry.
    This did not go down well with Ramdev. The yoga guru said he did not agree with personal attacks since the movement was about larger issues, not individuals. Immediately afterwards, Kejriwal left the venue leading to speculation about his unhappiness over the public snub. However, he later claimed that he had to leave because of ill health. He agreed that there were differences but said he would bring the Baba around.
    Ramdev, too, tried to play down the divergence, holding that there may be “differences of work culture” but the goals were the same. “I too take names sometimes. It happens sometimes in the flow,” he said.
    Differences apart, the coming together of the two factions of civil society is significant. The two groups didn’t see eye to eye on several issues and many in Team Anna appeared to have reservations about the Hindutva leanings of the yoga guru as well as his controversial views on issues like homosexuality. The bases of the two factions are different with the yoga guru deriving his support from small towns and villages as distinct from Team Anna’s appeal in the cities. The fusion can be effective especially now that Team Anna has decided to renew its campaign which has bruised the government and sapped its goodwill. The fresh phase with the PM in its sights comes at a time when the government is in disarray and Coalgate has been taken up as a weapon by the opposition also.
    The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has estimated that allocations of coal blocks without auction brought private companies Rs 1.8 lakh crore in “undue gains”. The CAG report was not tabled in the budget session but there will be pressure to bring it to Parliament in the monsoon session. People expect Prime Minister to do his duty, says Ramdev
New Delhi:Ramdev’s restraint stood out because it is the yoga guru who has taken an aggressive tack in the past and has been seething since the midnight police action on his supporters at Ramlila Maidan last year.
    Importantly, his sparing the PM did not buffer him from a furious response from the Congress, which hinted at saffron support to the agitation and questioned why the anti-graft campaigners were not taking the names of those from the BJP who were facing graft charges.
    Beginning the day-long fast at Jantar Mantar with Hazare, Ramdev said, “We all know that Manmohan Singh is an honest person and we all respect him. But people expect him to make his Cabinet corruption free. Please fulfill your democratic duties.”
    But by afternoon, Kejriwal was trying to tear the PM to shreds. Criticising the government for not bringing a strong Lokpal bill, he said, “In our country we have 34 ministers, 15 of whom have serious charges of corruption against them. If a strong Lokpal comes, 12-13 of them will go to jail. The PM is the leader of these ministers.”
    On the coal blocks issue, he was even more scathing. “Between 2006-09, the PM was in charge of the coal ministry. Before 2006, in close to a decade, only 34 coal blocks had been given to private companies. But during his tenure, 155 coal blocks went to private companies without any auction or tendering. After his tenure ended, only one coal block went to a private company. The PM repeatedly ignored the coal secretary’s suggestions that coal blocks must be auctioned. The PM says it was not necessary, but it has led to a loss of Rs 2 lakh crore,” Kejriwal said.
    He further attacked the PM for allotting these blocks to “non-descript underwear and gutka companies’’ instead of the usual energy sector companies. “People say the PM is honest. We believe he is. But where has the money gone then? In the party fund?” he asked.
    Promptly after this, Ramdev wielded the mike to say, “Taking names of individuals is not in the protocol of this agitation. But Arvind Kejriwal has done that. This fight is not against any individual. Such statements create unnecessary controversy, which takes the focus away from the main issue.”
    Kejriwal was then seen storming out of the venue, only to tweet later that he had left because he was feeling “very unwell’’. He said he would convince Ramdev that taking names was important for the fight against corruption.
    The Ramdev camp, however, also rejected the Hazare camp’s contention that not a single political party wanted a strong Lokpal. Politicians, after all, are the people who are going to make the law, and the focus should be on making them do the right thing, the Ramdev camp said.
    The two factions of activists stressed on how important it was for them to come together. This was also the reason the protest tried to put up an inclusive front with leaders from farmer, labour and dalit communities addressing the gathering. Stressing this point, Kiran Bedi said, “Let’s take a pledge that we (Hazare camp and Ramdev) will be together until the Lokpal bill and black money issues are resolved. Numbers are important in a democracy. This is what politicians fear.”
    Attacking the UPA government, Ramdev announced a fight-to-finish by August 9 when a fresh movement (which he chose to call ‘Bharat Chhodo’) would be launched.
    Hazare remained quiet through the day speaking only towards the close of the event. He talked of uniting the nation and everyone taking responsibility to fight corruption apart from underlining the need to bring in the “right to reject” law in elections. TNN

MAZE OF WORDS AT JANTAR MANTAR
Kejriwal takes mike at Ramdev fast, attacks PM Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet over corruption. Names Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad, Jayalalithaa and Mayawati as well Kiran Bedi tweets too: ‘100% false news abt Arvind. He left due to health reasons. I am a witness!

Ramdev delivers instant snub:
Today, we thought that we will not take anybody’s name. But Arvind took names...We are against personal criticism’

Kejriwal leaves venue shortly, says it was not because he was offended.
    I had to leave venue
    because I am very unwell. This is a political battle and we will have to name and shame...I am sure I will be able to persuade him that naming is important