Pranab, Sibal meet Baba Ramdev at Delhi airport

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Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal and two other ministers met Baba Ramdev at the Delhi airport on Wednesday in a bid to persuade the yoga guru to call off his proposed fast from June 4 against corruption and black money stashed abroad, activists in the movement said.

Besides Mukherjee and Sibal, parliamentary affairs minister P.K. Bansal and tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay also met Ramdev, the activists added. Top officials, including Cabinet secretary K.M. Chandresekhar, were also part of the government team.

The initial plan was for Mukherjee to meet Ramdev at the former’s north block office. However, he rushed to the airport to meet Ramdev, who arrived around noon.

Activists in the Ramdev movement said there was “no plan as of now” to drop the fast to be staged at the spacious Ramlila grounds in the national capital. Ramdev will conduct his fast at Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had sent a letter to Ramdev on Tuesday evening, urging him to call of the fast.

Ramdev announced the fast demanding urgent government action to recover the black money stashed away in foreign banks.

Meanwhile, hectic preparations — including the erection of a huge tent to accommodate 20,000 people — were in progress at the Ramlila grounds for Saturday’s fast.