Fasting Baba Ramdev, admitted in a Dehradun hospital after his condition deteriorated, is reported stable but weak as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visits him again
Fasting Baba Ramdev, admitted in a Dehradun hospital after his condition deteriorated, is reported stable but weak as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visits him againBaba is not in ICU. He is in a VIP ward next to it. He was given normal saline and vitamins. He was suffering from dehydration but is now stable," reported Deepak Goyal, a doctor at Dehradun's Jolly Grant Hospital where Ramdev is admitted. This happened on Saturday as fresh efforts were made by political leaders to urge the yoga guru to call off his eight-day old fast against corruption.
Yoga guru Baba Swami Ramdev is brought out on a stretcher from his
ashram Pitanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar on Friday. afp photoGoyal, however, added that Ramdev is having "problems in sitting and speaking, and he is weak." The condition of Acharya Balakrishna, a close aide of Ramdev who is also on fast, is also stable, the doctor added.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met Ramdev in the hospital for the second time on Saturday.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, spared no attack on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for the June 4 crackdown on Ramdev's supporters in Ramlila Ground, New Delhi. "If he (Ramdev) is adamant, I am also adamant that I will stay here as long as it takes for him to give up his fast," Shankar told reporters. The Art of Living founder clarified that the central government had not asked him to negotiate with Ramdev to end his fast against black money and corruption.
The BJP also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the police action at the Ramlila Ground, in which several people were injured.
In Lucknow, Congress leader PL Punia said Ramdev's fast against corruption has now lost its significance.
Chairman of the Scheduled Castes Commission, Punia said, "What Ramdev is now doing has no significance. His fast has no meaning now as his demands have been accepted by the central government. Now he should call off his fast."
But, the opposition continued to rap the Congress. Calling Manmohan Singh government "the most corrupt and repressive" government. "The repressive character of this government is becoming increasingly evident with more and more corruption coming out," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, adding that the party believes the government is not keen on retrieving black money stashed abroad.
The BJP also staged protests at 14 locations in the national capital and asked the government to clarify its stand on black money and corruption. They also demanded a CBI probe into the police crackdown.
Questioning Baba's credentials Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad said, "Ramdev is neither a yoga guru nor he is a 'baba'. He is a mere trainer." He went on to say that activists like Hazare and Ramdev were a dime a dozen. "If someone from the roadside raises unjustified demands, we cannot fulfil them. This is a conspiracy against democracy and the system. We will not allow the constitution to be compromised on the whims of anybody that was enacted by Babasaheb Ambedkar," Lalu said. Ramdev began his fast on June 4 to protest against corruption.
