Baba Ramdev’s anti-corruption drama planned in Puttur - Chidambaram

Baba Ramdev’s anti-corruption drama planned in Puttur - Chidambaram

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, June 9, 2011: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday charged the RSS with being behind Baba Ramdev’s anti-corruption campaign, saying the Sangh fountainhead had decided to support anyone raising the corruption issue.

"I think you should know who is behind Baba Ramdev. Go back to March 2011. At a meeting at Puthur in Karnataka, the Akhil Bhatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, which is the apex body of the RSS, decided to support all organisations and individuals that will raise the fight against corruption," he said in an interview to state broadcaster Doordarshan.

The Home Minister said on April two, the RSS had announced the formation of an anti-corruption front in which Baba Ramdev is the patron.

Chidambaram said a section of media was engaged in "competitive populist coverage" of the protests movement of Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev and others and maintained that it undermined parliamentary democracy.

"I think sections of the media, for reasons which I can’t spell out, are engaged in competitive populist coverage of these movements. This undermines parliamentary democracy," he said.

The Home Minister said he supported the civil society speaking against corruption by raising their voice.

"But I don’t support elected representatives yielding their obligations and responsibilities to civil society representatives. Let us remember that the foundation of this country is parliamentary democracy," he said.

Chidambaram criticised the civil society members for challenging Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to a television debate on corruption.

"When someone challenges Finance Minister to a debate in television, he misses the fact that debate takes place in Parliament and Parliamentary debates are televised and voters watch Parliamentary debates and exercise their franchise from time-to-time," he said.

The Home Minister said the Central government was committed to drafting the Lokpal Bill by June 30.

"We are clearly committed to the goal that a bill will be drafted by June 30. I sincerely hope that the other five members of the Committee will return to the drafting committee’s meeting," he said.

Chidambaram said the next meeting of the joint drafting committee has been deferred because social activist Anna Hazare is not available on that day.

"We have deferred (the meeting) by a few days," he said.

The Home Minister dismissed the suggestion that there was difference between the government and Congress party in dealing with Ramdev’s anti-corruption campaign.