The Congress’ charge that Ramdev is an RSS prop was nothing but a manifestation of a “BJP-RSS phobia” within the party, and it has resorted to this labelling since pre—Emergency days, whenever its government is cornered, the BJP said.
“When Anna Hazare first raised the Lokpal issue he had been clubbed with the RSS. These days, Ramdev’s movement is being dubbed as RSS sponsored. Let no one forget that even Jai Prakash Narayan had to hear similar noises when he was leading the anti-Emergency movement,” senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said on his blog on Saturday.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh had called Ramdev an agent of the RSS and a ‘thug’.
Interestingly, his comments have come on a day when RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat issued an appeal to Ramdev to end his fast saying the country needs his “guidance in the movement for national regeneration”, and this has been hampered by his deteriorating health.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman alleged that the Congress is using its “BJP—RSS phobia” to justify the midnight crackdown on peaceful protesters at Ramlila grounds.
She maintained that Congress is using this tactic to counter charges of corruption being levelled against it.
“They feel cornered and resort to labelling people and charging them of destabilising government. Let us recall that pre—Emergency, Acharya Kripalani, Jayaprakash Narayan and during the Bofors, V P Singh were called RSS agents too,” Ms. Sitharaman said.
Published - June 11, 2011 07:34 pm IST
