New Delhi, May 31: With the UPA government still reeling under the ‘Anna Hazare’ impact, it doesn’t want to take any chances with yoga guru Baba Ramdev.
No less than the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) met on Monday to discuss measures to be taken to halt yoga guru’s ‘Anna Hazare’ act.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev too has pledged to get rid of corruption, not through pranayam, but by undertaking a fast-unto-death, to force the Central Government to make efforts to bring back the ill-gotten black money stashed away in secret Swiss Banks and in other tax-havens around the world.
Sources said that the government plans to both write and also send a Minister to Baba Ramdev to explain the measures already taken by it in the black money issue and to make him give up his fast-unto-death plan.
What seems to be bothering the government most is that the Baba Ramdev, quite unlike Anna Hazare, has political ambitions and a huge fan following.
Baba plans to launch his anti-corruption programme from June 4.
The CCPA seems to have also discussed the RSS’s involvement in the issue. The Sangh is reportedly taking a keen interest in Ramdev’s agitation as the issue is closer to its heart.
Having learnt a lesson from the Anna Hazare episode, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is taking no chances.
This time round, the government is over-cautious.
The Prime Minister- chaired CCPA meeting on Monday lasted for two hours and every aspect was discussed in it.
Sources said the possibility of sending a Minister along with a letter from the PM to Ramdev to persuade him not to go ahead with his hunger strike was discussed at length. One round of persuasion has already failed though.
–Agencies