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After meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari, yoga guru Baba Ramdev met key UPA ally and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar here last night. Unlike Gadkari, Pawar did not touch Baba Ramdev's feet, but greeted him with a somewhat awkward hug, which was initiated by the Baba. After the meeting, Baba Ramdev said Pawar had agreed with the gravity of the issues put before him. "There is a need to build consensus across the country on issues such as black money, graft and changing the system. To this end, we are meeting people at all levels, from village councils to the Parliament. Just as we are meeting the top leaders of all political parties, we met Sharad Pawar today. By agreeing with us on these issues, he has taken a historic initiative," Baba Ramdev said. Pawar said that if black money was retrieved and infused into the system, it would benefit all sections of society. "The government raises funds through taxes, but these funds are not sufficient for the development work that is required. If illicit funds are retrieved and included in the country's development process, it will be used to benefit everyone, whether it is schoolchildren, farmers, labourers, lower castes, tribals, and bring change to their lives," he said. Interestingly, Pawar is among the 15 ministers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who have been accused of graft by associates of veteran activist Anna Hazare, who had recently staged a joint demonstration with Baba Ramdev in New Delhi . Earlier, Baba Ramdev had said that he would meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Communist Party of India (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. 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.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar greets Baba Ramdev with a hug