The Hindu : Front Page : Assurance on law to check black money sent to Baba Ramdev

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Assurance on law to check black money sent to Baba Ramdev

Smita Gupta

But will this assuage the yoga guru's anger?

DEADLOCK CONTINUES:Baba Ramdev, Sri Vishwesha Teertha of the Pejavar Mutt and other religious leaders at the satyagrah against corruptionat Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi on Saturday.

New Delhi: The government was virtually back to square one on the Baba Ramdev affair on Saturday evening, with the yoga guru accusing Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal of betraying his trust, within minutes of telling a cheering crowd at the Ramlila Maidan that the government had agreed to enact a law on black money, and that he would end his fast as soon as he received a clarificatory note on it. The day was expected to end with a resolution; instead, it ended with the stand-off in place.

Late on Saturday night, the government did dispatch the clarificatory note on the law on black money, declaring it as a national asset and providing for exemplary punishment. But at the time of writing, it wasn't clear whether this had assuaged Baba Ramdev's anger.

The dramatic change in the yoga guru's mood came after Mr. Sibal showed journalists a handwritten note Baba Ramdev had given the government, promising to announce at noon on Saturday that he would end his hunger strike on June 6.

The revelation of the note, which has embarrassed Baba Ramdev, was clearly an error of judgment on the part of the government, as it was no longer necessary. Earlier, a beleaguered government, under pressure from the Congress, and an object of ridicule in public for its “weakness,” had decided that if the yoga guru did not make a public announcement on Saturday, then the note would be its weapon to discredit him. But Baba Ramdev's phone call to Mr. Sibal obviated the necessity for such a revelation, as he had agreed to end his fast if the government gave him a written assurance on a law on black money.

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