Baba Ramdev and the Lokpal Bill : Actions and Motives

The long process of drafting the lokpal bill has created a very nasty political condition in India. An obvious reason behind the slow pace of its enactment and effect is that after months of meetings and discussions, the two counterparts viz. the civil society members and the govt. (UPA), have failed to reach a consensus. On the one side gandhian activist Anna Hazare and his fellows are pushing hard to enact this bill in the parliament from this monsoon season, and placing the proposal of putting the PM and CJI ( chief justice of India) under its operative range; while on the other side the UPA govt. is still busy looking for a safer middle-path which definitely points at the thing that govt doesn't want such a bill to be passed which will either be too restrictive ( restrictive enough to put the PM office and CJI under the eye of this lokpal bill) or too loose.


Amidst this melodrama, suddenly we see Baba Ramdev popping up taking a stand in favor of Anna Hazare and investing his popularity to persuade the 'aam-janta' in a movement against corruption and black money. His own style of creating pressure on the govt, through public speeches, interviews in news channels and through his unique kind of Satyagrah, to declare entire black money as national asset proved viable and brought a mass awakening among the people.

However his very own unique way of doing Satyagrah in the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on 3rd June is definitely questionable and brings his loyalty and intentions under the 'raised eyebrows'.


I would like to point out some facts that may bring his honest and selfish-less motives and actions intended for aam-janta under suspicion :-

1. Ramlila Maidan was adhered to be used for Yoga purposes on the 3rd June and not for any kind of Satyagrah and political speech stand. Moreover Baba kept on assuring the govt that the Ramlila ground would carry 5000 people for his Yog Shivir, however the figures finally lasted to 50,000 people there in the maidan, and never for the sake of doing Yoga.


2. During those 3 days period ( 31st May to 2nd June ), few bombs were found in Delhi at various places including Hindu College. Who would have been accountable if some calamity might have happened amidst that huge public gathering at the Ramlila Maidan.


3. During the course of Lathi-charge, we have seen Baba running out of the Maidan disguising as a women wearing a Salwar. I would like to say that running away from the legal body doesn't complies with the ideologies of Satyagrah. Satyagrah asks one to surrender and to embrace arrest during such course of action. Clearly Baba needs to revise his lessons of Satyagrah.


4. Baba himself has concealed some of his asset from the govt. How honest this stands on his pry for honesty and selfish-less image.


Well one might see Baba's actions and motives as pro-BJP and pro-RSS, with Baba looking out to gain more popularity ( for unknown reasons to me so far ), I insist him not to make public feelings as the shield against govt. actions, and I request him not to make the rights, he has got in a democratic nation like India, a weakness of ruling govt. Things like bill drafting demands proper analysis and conciliation. It should not be pushed too hard to create animosity and distrust else results would not be that much effective. Civil Society members are doing their job and so should Baba ( Even Anna Hazare has admitted that Baba is not mature enough to take on political lead) . Better focus on a healthy India and leave the task of honest India on people mature enough to do it.