The Union government's efforts to dissuade Baba Ramdev from going on indefinite fast from June 4 failed on Wednesday afternoon even though top Union Ministers received him at the Delhi airport and discussed significant national issues with him for over two and a half hours. After the meeting with Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee,Kapil Sibal,Subodh Kant Sahay and Pawan Kumar Bansal at the airport,the yoga guru declared his fast was on course and would take place at Delhi's Ram Lila Maidan. He said one crore" people around the country would fast with him. Speaking with the media after the meeting,Ramdev said his fast was on two main issues to bring back black money from abroad and corruption. He has demanded black money be declared national wealth and is waiting for the government to get back to him on the modalities of such conversion. The government can bring a legislation to do this, Ramdev said,adding his fast would continue till his demands were met. Talks with him will continue over the next two days, Kapil Sibal said after the meeting. Swami Ramdev raised a lot of important issues which impact the future of the country. Our discussions were not limited to one or two issues but were more broad-ranging. They were significant national issues. We responded to him. And we shall meet again in the next two days to continue talking. Sibal added: We are a responsible government and we shall take these issues forward. Sibal was evasive when asked whether Ramdev would call off his fast. The four Union Ministers went into a huddle with the yoga guru as soon as he landed at the Delhi airport a little after 1 pm on Wednesday in a desperate bid to stop him from going on fast. The government's near-capitulation comes after a similar hunger strike by social activist Anna Hazare and his team in early April. That fast had channelised public anger against the various corruption scandals plaguing the UPA government at the moment. To take Hazare off his fast,the government has been forced to include civil society members in the panel that is redrafting the Lokpal Bill a soon-to-be introduced legislation that demands greater accountability from the political class,bureaucracy and judiciary. So concerned and worried is the government over Baba Ramdevs hunger strike that even Finance Minister Union Pranab Mukherjee met him at the airport the moment he landed. Subodh Kant Sahay,Kapil Sibal and Pawan Kumar Bansal had been deputed to receive the Baba along with senior government officials. On Tuesday,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had appealed to Baba Ramdev not to go ahead with his hunger strike,but failed to convince him. The PM's appeal came a day after an over two-hour meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) that reportedly discussed Baba Ramdev's hunger strike threat. The government had earlier deputed Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sudhir Chandra to persuade Baba Ramdev not to undertake the agitation but the effort failed. Meanwhile,in an open letter to the Prime Minister,Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Gadkari said bringing back black money kept in tax havens abroad was on the agenda of both the Congress and BJP-led alliances during the 2009 general elections. "I would like to draw attention to your promise of bringing back black money in 100 days after assuming office. It pains me to point out that the inaction of the UPA for the last seven years on the black money front has led to popular resentment among the masses," Gadkari said. Ramdev,whom Gadkari calls the "rock star of Yoga" in his letter,will go on a fast-unto-death from June 4. "BJP strongly feels that the government should initiate immediate measures to track this national property and get it back so that this money can be used for developmental projects to ameliorate the deprived sections of society," Gadkari said. He "earnestly" requested the Prime Minister to personally intervene and accept Ramdev's "just and reasonable" demands. "Mere creation of a wing under the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to track and prosecute economic offenders is not going to solve this monumental problem. Nor would issuing appeals to the yoga guru to give up his plan defuse the threatening crisis," he said. Gadkari said he was glad PM had discussed with his Cabinet colleagues the "seriousness" of Ramdev's decision to go on fast-unto-death and its "frightening consequences". He sought a "categorical assurance" from the government to Ramdev that those arrested recently for corruption in Commonwealth Games,2G scam and other cases would be punished and the process to recover the money would be started. BJP sees in Ramdev's strike another opportunity to take on the Congress-led UPA government on corruption. Party sources said he is likely to get open support of the RSS as well on this issue. In his letter,the BJP President had heaped praise on Ramdev for his initiative. "We in the BJP have every reason to believe Baba Ramdev's assertion that black money to the tune of Rs 400 lakh crore is lying in several international banks. His assessment has been corroborated by several experts," Gadkari said. He also stated that Ramdev has been on the "vanguard of the crusade against the scourge of corruption." Ramdev has demanded anti-graft laws and asked the government to get the list of Indians who have stashed their illegal money abroad.
