The Sena chief has also called for Opposition unity to dislodge Congress from office. However, Saamna, the Sena mouthpiece, stated in an editorial that blowing
conchs and fasting will not end the country's woes. Saamna chided Baba Ramdev for indulging in politics and for ignoring Anna Hazare's word of caution against New Delhi politicians. "Eventually, the Baba was taken for a ride by the Centre," added Saamna.
The hemming and hawing on Baba Ramdev is an indication of the growing confusion in the Sena about its role as Opposition party. Clearly, the Sena needs a rallying point to step up its campaign against the ruling DF combine in the state.
With the BJP cozying up to the yoga guru, the Sena too has followed suit, given the 24x7 coverage of the Baba's on-going stir.
"The police ruthlessly crushed Baba Ramdev's peaceful agitation in New Delhi. It isn't enough to condemn the police crackdown. Every citizen in the state and in the country should put up black flags atop their homes to express their disgust of the Congress party," the Sena chief said. He described the police action on Baba and his followers as "cruel and inhuman".
Thackeray's statement is significant in view of the morcha planned by the Sena-BJP and the RPI (Athavale group) against the ruling DF combine in Mumbai on June 9. The New Delhi incident will cast a shadow on the morcha and help crystallize public opinion against the Congress-NCP combine, said a senior Sena functionary.
Declining to comment on the propriety of Ramdev's indefinite fast, Thackeray said, "But the manner in which thousands of policemen unleashed a reign of terror on Ramdev's peaceful agitation is reprehensible. The time has come to decide whether we should push the country into further chaos or pull down the Congress party's coercive rule."
However, Saamna held Ramdev responsible for the fiasco at Ramlila maidan last Saturday. "Politics is not Baba Ramdev's territory. He was keen to join politics and lead the country. Eventually, the baba was taken for a ride by the Centre.
Baba Ramdev is responsible for his fiasco," said the Sena morninger.
Saamna further said that yoga and fast cannot be the weapons to pull down the "foxes and wolves'' from the seat of power. "Such agitations cannot resolve the country's problems.'' Meanwhile, there were repercussions of Ramdev's episode in Maharashtra. According to the police records, followers of Ramdev staged protested at 19 different venues across the state. "Except for one place-Jalgaon, in rest of the state there was no untoward incident. The law and order situation was very much under control," said Umeshchandra Sarangi, additional chief secretary, home. Further speaking on the protest rally planned by Sena-BJP-RPI, Sarangi said, "To avoid inconvenience to the citizens on the day of the protest rally, adequate police personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order situation in the state."
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