A sea of humanity descended on the Ramlila Grounds here on Saturday as Baba Ramdev’s fast against corruption and black money began with the rendering of devotional and patriotic songs.
Thousands of people converged on the ground during the day even as many were already camping there from Friday. Villagers from outer Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh rubbed shoulders with the
middle class followers of the Baba.
At 4.50 am, Baba Ramdev ascended the dais accompanied by saffron-clad monks and Muslim and Sikh religious leaders. He declared the beginning of the fast, with his followers rendering a song that
went, Dilli Dilli jayenge, apne hind ko bachayenge, bhrashtachar mitayenge, kala dhan bhi wapas layenge, chalo Dilli chalo Dilli (We’ll go to Delhi to save India, to purge corruption and bring back
the black money stashed in foreign banks). Posters read, “Baba datey raho hum tumhare saath hain and “1857, 1947 and now 2011...’’.
But what kicked off controversy was the presence of Sangh Parivar leader Sadhvi Ritambhara associated with the Ram Janambhoomi movement and the Babri Masjid demolition.
An unfazed Baba Ramdev took centrestage, interspersing a demonstration of “asanas”, discourses and music with a bit of humour to liven up the proceedings. He introduced religious leaders of all
faiths and sects on the dais and was obviously keen to project that his movement was secular and not propped up by right wing Hindu organisations like the RSS.
Sadhvi Rithambhara lavished praise on Baba saying, “If there were more Vallabhbhai Patels, then there would have been no need for a ‘sanyasi’ to sit on satyagraha.”
One of the Muslim leaders even complimented the sadhvi for her speech and said “This is not Mullah Omar’s Taliban. This is Hindustan,” drawing a thunderous applause. A Muslim leader chanted the
slogan “Hindustan Zindabad”, prompting the charged audience to repeat after him.
Baba Ramdev took care to pepper his words with humour when he told his followers that the hunger strike will help them in two ways. “Hamare mote bhai aur moti baheno ke liye yeh satyagrah health
benefits layega aur desh ke liye wealth mil jayega” (The hungerstrike will help our obese brothers and sisters slim down and also bring back the country’s wealth)”. When a follower gave him a
cheque of `11 lakhs, he quipped “Take photos, this is not black money”.
The Baba also made it clear that while support from politicians is welcome, they cannot make speeches. “They can support us but they cannot make speeches because it leads to controversy,” he said.
“We have received more than 55 lakh missed calls already,” he said referring to his campaign.
The yoga guru then gave instructions to those fasting with him, saying “We have arranged for water and lemon juice but don’t drink in large quantities.” Supporters scoffed at the criticism from
some politicians that the movement was a “five-star agitation”, saying that basic facilities had been provided in view of the scorching summer.