Ramdev to begin his indefinite fast today

Govt ministers negotiate for 4 hours, concede much, but yoga guru wants more; parleys to continue.

Despite a four-hour meeting with Union ministers, yoga guru Ramdev has said he would proceed with his proposed indefinite fast from tomorrow. His campaign centres around the issues of corruption and generation and hoarding of unaccounted money.

While both sides claimed common ground on most of his demands, Ramdev said his peaceful agitation would continue till all demands were met. Telecom minister Kapil Sibal, who spearheaded the talks, later said these woud continue.

“We have yet not reached a compromise and I will sit on fast,” Ramdev said after the talks. Sibal said, “We have said that these issues cannot be resolved in a day, as these have long-term implications.”

Punishment for graft to be substantially increased: govt

In a bid to dissuade Ramdev from going ahead with his fast, government assured him that the maximum punishment for corruption would be “substantially increased” but remained silent on his demand that those who indulge in huge graft should be hanged. In a point-by-point response to the issues raised by Ramdev, who will go on an indefinite hunger strike from tomorrow, said the cabinet secretariat, in a late night statement.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today briefed President Pratibha Patil about these developments. A day after finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and three other cabinet minister went to meet Ramdev at the airport, the government decided to field two ministers, Sibal and Subodh Kant Sahay, to carry on the discussions. Sahay is known to be on good terms with Ramdev. The two ministers met him at a hotelhere.

Government managers maintained hope. A senior minister said Ramdev had made massive preparations for the past month and it was logical that he would like to put up a show before coming to an agreement with the government. “We have responded positively to his suggestions and Swamiji will do what is right,” said Sibal.

Even as a section of the government establishment sees the protest programme of Ramdev as an effort to take the wind out of the sails of Anna Hazare and his followers, Ramdev emphasized his move was not aimed at a political party “but for the sake of the nation”.

The ruling Congress party maintained a distance from the developments and maintained “a process is going on at the government level. It is between the government and the people concerned. We don’t want to add anything to it,” party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Government managers have changed their schedules and are staying back in Delhi to meet any contingencyn. Mukherjee and law minister Veerappa Moily have cancelled tours to Kolkata and Mangalore, respectively. Home minister P Chidambaram has also made himself available.

DEMANDS
Earlier, Ramdev gave an emotive speech to his supporters at Ramlila Maidan here. “The fight against corruption will not be easy, as those who benefit from graft are powerful. I am ready to fast for not only three days but for 30 days, as we are doing it for the starving people in the country,” he said.

Ramdev has also demanded a public service delivery law forcing government officials to respond to citizen issues within a time-frame. “This is not a political or business agenda and nor do we have any underground agenda. Our agenda is to get black money back. We have to end corruption. And, inspired by this idea, we are all asking for our rights by adopting an enthusiastic, yet peaceful, means of protest,” he said.

In his speech today, Ramdev also said the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 should be amended so that no takes away farmer’s land without his permission, there should be no injustice in the education sector and the Prime Minister should be directly elected by the people.