Guru rejects call to halt anti-graft fast
Source: Agencies |
June 2, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
INDIA'S most popular, and powerful, yoga guru rejected an appeal by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday to call off a hunger strike against corruption.
The charismatic Swami Ramdev, who dons a saffron cloth thrown over his bare torso, runs a US$40 million-a-year global yoga and health empire and has millions of followers. Some 30 million viewers tune into his daily yoga TV show. These followers are expected to rally behind him as he begins on Saturday a "fast-to-the-death" in Delhi until the government agrees to pass a tough anti-corruption law and set up a task force for repatriating illegal funds held in foreign bank accounts by Indians.
"The prime minister has appealed that I should not go ahead with my fast but I will start my fast from June 4 to save our country," Ramdev told a yoga congregation in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Singh has struggled to shake off a series of corruption scandals that have embroiled senior officials, including a US$39 billion telecoms spectrum scam, the biggest in India's history.
There is widespread public anger over the graft scams, which have also hurt foreign investment and helped delay a series of reforms aimed at opening up Asia's third-largest economy.
Ramdev's fast would be the second by a prominent public figure to force the government to ratify the anti-graft "Jan Lokpal" bill that gives an independent ombudsman police-like powers to prosecute ministers, bureaucrats and judges.
In April, veteran activist Anna Hazare, who is in his 70s, went on a hunger strike over the bill, triggering anti-graft protests by thousands of people across the country.
He ended it five days later, after the government agreed to allow activists to take part in drafting it.
The charismatic Swami Ramdev, who dons a saffron cloth thrown over his bare torso, runs a US$40 million-a-year global yoga and health empire and has millions of followers. Some 30 million viewers tune into his daily yoga TV show. These followers are expected to rally behind him as he begins on Saturday a "fast-to-the-death" in Delhi until the government agrees to pass a tough anti-corruption law and set up a task force for repatriating illegal funds held in foreign bank accounts by Indians.
"The prime minister has appealed that I should not go ahead with my fast but I will start my fast from June 4 to save our country," Ramdev told a yoga congregation in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Singh has struggled to shake off a series of corruption scandals that have embroiled senior officials, including a US$39 billion telecoms spectrum scam, the biggest in India's history.
There is widespread public anger over the graft scams, which have also hurt foreign investment and helped delay a series of reforms aimed at opening up Asia's third-largest economy.
Ramdev's fast would be the second by a prominent public figure to force the government to ratify the anti-graft "Jan Lokpal" bill that gives an independent ombudsman police-like powers to prosecute ministers, bureaucrats and judges.
In April, veteran activist Anna Hazare, who is in his 70s, went on a hunger strike over the bill, triggering anti-graft protests by thousands of people across the country.
He ended it five days later, after the government agreed to allow activists to take part in drafting it.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
