Indian yoga guru refuses to call off hunger strike

Indian yoga guru refuses to call off hunger strike

2011-06-02 02:33:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- The Indian government on Wednesday failed to convince a famed yoga guru to call off his anti-corruption hunger strike set to begin this weekend, India Blooms News Service reported.

Top ministers invited Baba Ramdev to the capital to negotiate his demands and convince him to call off his hunger strike set to begin on June 4. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh fears that an April-like situation, when another anti-corruption five-day hunger strike forced him to give in to his demands, will happen.

Top political fixers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal, went to receive the yoga star as he descended from a private jet in the New Delhi international airport. After the meeting, Ramdev said the talks were "positive," but remained firm that the strike would go ahead as planned.

"On June 4 more than 1 crore Indians will fast on day one. Crores (tens of millions) want to see the country free from this [corruption, black money]," Ramdev said, as he examined the preparations on the grounds which is expected to bustle with a full capacity crowd of over 25,000 supporters.

"Till there is complete consensus, our satyagraha will go ahead as planned. Our first issue is black money and the second is corruption," he said.

The yoga guru wants to repatriate Indian illicit funds supposedly stashed away in offshore banks. Ramdev has said that this 'black money' suspected of being funds paid for bribes or other illegal transactions and stashed away to evade taxes could provide a huge boost to the Indian economy.

"When the black money is brought back, our economy will be so huge, our currency will be so strong that our one rupee will be equal to $50," he was quoted in an interview earlier this week.

His other proposals also include introducing the death penalty for corrupt officials and dispose of graft lawsuits within one year.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Singh urged Ramdev to call off the strike, saying there was still time to tackle the issues.

"Corruption is a big problem and we are making serious efforts to tackle it. It's not a divisive issue. We have to work with Baba Ramdev and look for solutions. I have already asked him not to take recourse to an agitation," he said.

In April, Gandhian social activist Anna Hazare launched a similar campaign that forced the government to form a joint panel of ministers and activists to draft a tough ombudsman bill - the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Transparency International ranked India, one of few yet to ratify the United Nations convention against corruption, at 78, placing it below neighboring rival China.

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