https://www.timesofassam.com/headlines/movement-of-ramdev-proceeding-as-wanted-by-government

Movement of RamDev proceeding as wanted by Government

RamDev

By– Priyankan Goswami | Date– June 10, 2011 | Place– Chennai

As a continuation of the previous report Ramdev VS Anna Hazare – Unmatched questions

The requirement for the plan to destroy Ramdev’s movement

When Dr. Subramanian Swamy, whose efforts brought the 2G Scam into surface, wrote to the Prime Minister last December that he has enough information that 60% of the loot from the 2G scam went to Sonia Gandhi’s sisters Anushka and Nadia, it was like opening a can of worms. Issues such as Gandhi Family’s hidden wealth in Swiss Banks (citing reports of a Swiss Journal published in 1991 that proved Rajiv Gandhi had 2.2 billion hidden in Swiss Bank accounts that time), discussions as to how Sonia’s originally poor family in Italy now is the second richest in Italy only next to Fiat family started taking place.

Finally when Ramdev led the 27 February rally demanding the secret wealth hidden at Swiss Banks by corrupted Indians, at Delhi with over two lakh people, it was an eye opener for the rulers of India. Though most of the Media puppets of the Government ignored the news, the realization dawned on the Congress – UPA leaders as well as with BJP. Further Ramdev’s declaration to form a new political party threatened the Congress to wipe them out in next elections. For BJP, it was a threat too. They now had to worry about fighting two parties instead of one for coming to power!

For  the rulers of India and the Congress, the only way to destroy the threat Ramdev imposed by his demand to probe into secret Swiss Bank accounts was to destroy his movement and divert attention to something else. The way found was simple,- use the old formula of pseudo secularism, – destroy Saffron clad Ramdev by terming him Hindu chauvinistic and replace his movement for Swiss Accounts by creating a larger than life image of someone else. As per plan, Jan Lokpal replaced Swiss bank account issue and Anna Hazare was created as a new Mahatma with Congress minions Arvind Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh providing with ample support. The movement of Ramdev was hijacked. (Anna, after attaining his sudden Mahatmahood was seen even attacking and accusing easily the most accepted successful political leader, Narendra Modi, something which Congress could not have done on its own). Only the final touch was to be given and for it to happen, it needed two things, – Ramdev had to be given a communal colour and secondly, his image had to be crushed by proper use of Media.

On the other hand, for BJP it was its chance to start a proxy war against Congress by using Ramdev’s movement. The BJP leaders anticipated a crackdown on Ramdev’s fast at Ramlila grounds by the police and so none of their leaders were present during the day in Delhi. The plan was to use the incident, protest symbolically and gain from it. Had it been BJP’s actual support to Ramdev, they would have helped Ramdev’s followers in practicality. When Ramdev’s followers including women and children were tortured by the police, there was no one from BJP to aide them.It is mentionable that if Ramdev does stand in next elections forming a party, the votes of opposition would be shared and Congress stands in advantage.

The attempt at defamation against Ramdev

Just before Ramdev started his fast, the News channels and Media, most of them known to be puppets of the ruling party, got busy in allegations against Ramdev. For this, same methods were used as done by a ruling party during election campaigns against the opposition. Ramdev was made a fun object, commented as a thug and was questioned about his own wealth by the media, instead of concerning about the amount hidden in Swiss Bank which is more than 13 times the Foreign Debt India has!

• Bollywood Megastar Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan (who had campaigned for the Congress in last elections) spoke against Ramdev! No media questioned what the credibility Shahrukh Khan, who is seen more of smoking than speaking in real life to speak about a person who has brought health reforms to a million lives through yoga and Ayurvedic. Salman Khan, who was in jail for poaching, rash driving and other crimes, speaks against someone trying to stand against corruption! The idea here was to promote popular secularism.
• Newspapers and Media published records of Ramdev’s wealth on the same day as his fast, trying to prove that Ramdev himself does not the credibility! Does it mean a person who has a huge property earned by developing the economy of different sections at the root level through Ayurvedic and Yoga, cannot be a credible person? Ramdev’s earnings were through schemes which millions have benefited from. Yet the Indian Media could call Vijay Mallya a youth icon, though he is only a big liquor baron.

One wonders what would happen to Sachin Tendulkar (though unlikely) protest against Sonia Gandhi or Swiss Bank secret wealth. Would Media and people again counter question about his wealth rather than the issue? What if Bill Gates decided to come to India and protest against corruption? If we are follow the current ways, the media and its avid followers (we the people) probably would not allow him to do so, because he is rich already!

Attempt to crush Ramdev’s movement going as per plan

In order to give movement like Ramdev’s a communal shape and then to restrict it, Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory council (NAC) had already drafted the new bill called Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence. Though India has not seen any major communal violence ever since 2002 Gujarat riots, the need of this bill was not practically required, especially with India already down with major issues like Inflation, Naxalities, Price rise and corruption. It is also being believed that this bill is enacted to tame down Narendra Modi with charges. In fact most of the advisory committee of this draft are enemies of Modi.

With an emotional Ramdev declaring to form his own army to safeguard against Government’s tortures, the plan is just falling in place for the Indian ruling party. Once protests takes any undemocratic shape, Ramdev and his supporters will face the axe and tamed down.

Who and how should we protest?

When Irom Sharmila from Manipur sat on a hunger strike more than a decade ago protesting against the killing of ten innocent civilians and demanding withdrawal of the inhuman Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, she was arrested on charges of attempt to suicide on her third day. She continues to fast till date with a pipe forced inside her nose by the Government. When stalwarts like Late Nibaran Borah and several senior citizens of Assam staged democratic protest against rapes and assault on innocent civilians by the Indian Army in name of insurgency operations, they were brutally beaten and lathi-charged by the state sponsored policemen. Ramdev and his followers got beaten for protesting against corruption. When thousands of villagers of Kakopothar came out to protest democratically against the killing of innocent civilians by Indian Army, the protestors were shooted with guns by the security forces (whose interest is to save the public!) and several were killed.

The decision to start an alternate army by Ramdev is not a good one at all. But one has to understand that the failure of democratic protests has led to the death of the trust in Democracy. The exploited people have turned revengeful by human nature, leading to the rise in Insurgency and armed Struggles. The voice of the gun has taken over the shout of a protestor in all ignored regions of India, – Assam, Manipur, all Maoists affected states. If the Indian rulers do not change its attitude, a bigger revolution is silently in the making. This revolution will not be democratic, nor will it be done by silent men with empty stomach