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Baba Ramdev begins third phase of India tour to awaken people to fight for their rights | Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev began the third phase of his nationwide tour on Tuesday from Raipur, Chhattisgarh,
to fight corruption in public life and unearth unaccounted money stashed to off
shore banks. In June 2011, Baba Ramdev and thousands of his followers had staged
a mass hunger strike in New Delhi to demand reforms, including the awarding of
the death penalty for corrupt officials. Dozens were injured when the government
sent a phalanx of police in with batons and tear gas to break up their peaceful
protest. Lashing out at the government for misappropriating trillions of national
wealth, Baba Ramdev said his tour was part of the struggle of the common man to
combat graft. "This is the third phase of Bharat Swabhiman Yatra (tour to protect
India ''s integrity). We vow to start the Yatra (Tour) on the Labour Day, as this
is the struggle of the common man. The important aspect of our struggle is to
protect the natural resources, which are worth 20,000 lakh crores rupees (200
trillion). Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa are main centres of natural resources,"
said Ramdev. He blamed the Congress party for looting the country and exploiting
natural resources of the tribal area. "We have to fight for the rights of the
tribals and I support it. It is because large amount of wealth is hidden below
the land which belongs to the tribals and it includes iron, coal, gold and silver,
diamond. The country has been looted by committing corporate crime. Our struggle
is against this corporate and political crime. But we are fighting in a democratic
way," he added. The world''s largest democracy has the dubious distinction of
having the largest number of legislators with a criminal record and some state
governments are brazenly admitting notorious individuals into the party-fold for
electoral considerations. Muscle and money power now dominate Indian politics
and this is the trend that team of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare had sought
to quarantine by seeking a Lokpal legislation - a kind of citizen''s ombudsman
bill. Baba Ramdev asserted that India ''s anti-graft campaign brought millions
of people onto the streets and they would teach a lesson to the corrupt officials.
"If we talk about black money, corruption or changing the various corrupt systems,
the governments have stooped to low levels and that is why we have taken the assistance
of the people and they will teach them a lesson," Ramdev further stated. Reportedly,
before heading to Delhi to join the protest with Hazare, he would also visit Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. A series of high-profile scandals has eroded trust
and stymied policymaking in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh''s administration in
recent months. Petty corruption is a fact of life for hundreds of millions of
Indians who need to pay bribes for anything from a passport to a gas connection,
but a string of billion-dollar scandals has sparked widespread anger against the
government. The Congress party has come under fire for what activists say is a
cynical response to mass anti-graft movements that sprouted this year. The government
says the protests were undemocratic and should not be allowed to dictate policy.
The corruption saga has dented investor confidence and smothered reforms such
as on land acquisition that could help maintain the momentum of one of the world''s
fastest-growing economies, which has showed signs of slowdown.
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