There is NO rift between Ramdev, Team Anna: Hazare

Attacking the United Progressive Alliance government and threatening a fight to the finish by August on the black money issue, Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday sat on a day-long fast to protest against corruption.

In their first appearance on a public platform after a year, Hazare and Ramdev arrived at the protest venue of Jantar Mantar together on Sunday morning after visiting Mahatma Gandhi's memorial and Shahid Park.

Ramdev began his campaign by issuing a warning to the government to get ready for a "fight to the finish" by August and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make his Cabinet "corruption free."

Before beginning his fast, he told reporters that he was intensifying the protest to bring back black money stashed away abroad.

"I want the countrymen to be part of the fight to finish by August," he said.

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Ramdev also invoked the name of Rajiv Gandhi, saying when the former prime minister talked about only 15 paise out of a rupee reaching the beneficiaries, it was "ideal" but "when we talk about it, then we are called khalnayaks (villains)".

The protest also had its share of drama when a man in his late twenties, claiming to be a 'volunteer' of the Team Anna campaign, tried to attempt self-immolation, alleging that he was mistreated by prominent members of India Against Corruption.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat said Team Anna and Ramdev were free to voice their concern against corruption but they cannot be allowed to "destroy" the existing institutions to tackle graft.

"They have full freedom to voice their concern against corruption. But Anna Hazare and Ramdev should understand that in the name of fighting corruption, if they want to destroy the existing institutions, then the country will not accept it," he told reporters.

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In his address, Ramdev claimed that efforts by the government to tarnish the image of Team Anna members and his aides had failed to break the movement against corruption.

"Whenever we talk of corruption, those in power and leaders of the ruling party maintain that laws are not made on the streets. We are not against anyone. There is no family feud," he said.

This is the first time that Ramdev and Hazare are sitting on a joint fast. From Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia were the prominent members who joined Hazare and Ramdev in the day-long fast.

The association with Ramdev had been opposed by a section within Team Anna on the ground that the yoga guru was facing corruption charges.

A senior police official said adequate arrangements have been made to maintain law and order at the venue.

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Stepping up his anti-graft offensive, Anna Hazare on Sunday made a strong pitch for the 'right to reject' and said people with criminal cases pending against them should be kept out of Parliament using the clause.

"Arvind (Kejriwal) has just said people with cases against them are sitting in Parliament. To stop this, we must use the right to reject," Hazare said while addressing the gathering at Jantar Mantar.

When a voter feels that none of the candidates contesting is good, he should use the right to reject, he said.

"If eight candidates are contesting from a constituency, and a voter feels these are all criminals, not one of them is good', he should choose the last option which is the right to reject," he said.

"We have to implement this and not just speak about it," he said.

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Hazare also refuted allegations about a rift in Team Anna or any misunderstanding with Ramdev.

"I was on a tour of 36 districts in Maharashtra. I left the tour and came as I had promised Ramdev that I would support him," he said.

"If I hadn't shown up, people would have again said that there is a rift with Ramdev," he said.

Hazare asked the youth to play an active role in development, especially of rural areas.

Quoting Mahtama Gandhi, he said development based on exploitation is not good or useful.

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"Out of a billion plus population, if just six lakh youth come forward and adopt one village each, our country will progress," he said.

Noting that development and removing corruption went hand-in-hand, he said, "Without either, our country will not go anywhere."

Referring to his activities against corruption in Maharashtra, he said, "I have fought against corruption for 25 years. After my agitation, 6six ministers and 400 bureaucrats were sacked."

He said the Right to Information Act was an important tool to uncover corruption.

"The Adarsh society scam came out due to RTI. Seven secretaries have gone in (jail), now it's the turn of ministers," he said.

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