Ramdev to end fast soon in 'makeshift jail'

Yoga guru Ramdev on Tuesday said he will end his fast before noon on the sixth day of protest against black money and declared that he will launch a big movement against Congress before the Lok Sabha elections.

After staying put at Ambedkar Stadium throughout the night, Ramdev told his supporters that he "is acceding to the appeal of his supporters and is calling off the fast but the movement will continue."

"I had earlier said that I will end my fast in jail. This stadium is a makeshift jail. I had said I will call off my fast only after my supporters get food and water. Late in the night, they were provided with food and water," Ramdev said.

"They have appealed to me to end the fast at 11.00 am," Ramdev said while addressing his supporters on Tuesday morning.

He also said there will a big movement against Congress ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections.

The yoga guru said history will be created on Tuesday and he will announce his next course of action before noon.

Ramdev held an early morning strategy session with his close aides to fine-tune the future course of his protest.

He had on Monday night rejected an appeal by the police to vacate the stadium, flagging concerns ahead of Independence Day as the venue is near the Red Fort, where the celebrations will take place.

The yoga guru on Monday adopted a vigorous anti-Congress stand in his protest against black money. He was arrested during a march to Parliament. Later in the night, he  refused to leave the stadium from where he and his few thousand supporters were released.

Giving a slogan 'Congress hatao, desh bachao' (Remove Congress, Save the Country), Ramdev ended his five-day protest with a call to his supporters to march to Parliament for a dharna to demand immediate steps to bring back black money stashed abroad.

His protest fast was marked by dilly-dallying over the last three days as he deferred announcing his strategy in the face of the central government's total indifference to his agitation against corruption.