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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari on Monday extended support to yoga guru Baba Ramdev for his movement to get back black money stashed away abroad. Jointly addressing media with Baba Ramdev here, Gadkari said: "Baba Ramdev's fight against black money is very important. We as the BJP party support Baba Ramdev in this 'andolan'. This is an agitation above party lines, this is for the benefit of the country." Gadkari, who touched Baba Ramdev's feet, defended his action, saying that: "Our culture is that when there is a sanyasi, we seek his blessings. I touched his feet according to Indian culture. " Baba Ramdev, however, said that he would meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and CPI general secretary AB Bardhan among others to seek their support for his movement. "I have written to Sonia Gandhi to meet her. I have sought time from all the political parties to seek their support. There is no politics in this. If the black money comes back in the country, everyone will benefit from it," he added. Earlier, strongly backing Baba Ramdev's movement, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy has asserted that the party has been actively crusading against graft, inflation and black money at the grassroots level. "All the political parties of India extend moral support to every individual or outfit that is raising the issues of corruption and black money. The parties might not be visible at the protest site, but across the country, the BJP is actively speaking out against corruption, coal scam, inflation and other issues," Rudy told media here. 'The BJP has been carrying out nationwide campaigns on these issues, and will continue to do so until the government awakens and takes corrective measures," he added. On Sunday, under the banner of India Against Corruption (IAC), Baba Ramdev along with social activist Anna Hazare undertook a day long fast against graft and nepotism in public life as well as black money. Baba Ramdev has been at loggerheads with the government over a range of national issues for the past many months. The outspoken yoga guru had also called on the government last year to pursue billions of dollars in illegal funds abroad and the withdrawal of high denomination bank notes.

Gadkari extends support to Ramdev's movement against black money