Internal battle in Team Anna: Ramdev or not?

Is Team Anna with Baba Ramdev? If you ask a member of Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption (IAC), which is seeking the creation of the Lokpal, the answers will range from “on issues, we are together,” to “we will extend support to each other from time to time,” to “we are working on future course of action.” A clear or unanimous response is not easily obtained from members of Team Anna on the movement’s association with the yoga guru. Time and again, they make statements indicating that while they are not excited about the a shared campaign with yoga guru, the possibility of an alliance with him will always be there. The fact is that Team Anna stands divided on extending support to and accepting the backing of Baba Ramdev. There are pro-Ramdev and anti-Ramdev groups within the Team. [caption id=“attachment_337259” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Lets call the whole thing off? Team Anna and Baba Ramdev have had their share of differences. PTI”]  [/caption] Anna Hazare believes that the association with yoga guru will create pressure on the government and there is no harm in attacking the government on the black money issue. Hazare believes that since black money stashed abroad is a issue related to corruption and if bringing back this money is the agenda of Ramdev, they should not hesitate in joining hands with him. And the number of Ramdev followers who attend every protest, is an added bonus. The social activist also finds Ramdev’s strategies acceptable. During a twenty minute-long speech at Jantar Mantar on 3 June, Hazare did not name a single political leader. Not to take names was the protocol of the event, Ramdev said later. However, many in the team including Arvind Kejriwal do not agree with this view. The anti- Ramdev group argues that allying with Ramdev will do more damage to the movement than good. A meeting between Ramdev and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari a day after the joint fast gives the message that Team Anna has joined hands with a ‘BJP man’, they believe. The anti-Ramdev lobby argues that it is fine to hold closed door discussions with Ramdev and extend moral support to him but keep him at arm’s length. Ramdev has been with the movement from the very beginning. On 14 November, 2010, Ramdev and Kejriwal were two of the ten people who signed a petition demanding the arrest of Suresh Kalmadi, then union sports minister. On 27 February, 2011, Ramdev held a rally in Delhi’s Ramlila ground which was attended by Anna Hazare. But these were events before the launch of Lokpal movement. Now, a lot is at stake for Team Anna and holding protests like that held on 3 June could result in collateral damage to the movement. The biggest harm in going with Ramdev, according to this group, is that it adds credibility to the voices which say that the Lokpal movement is backed by the saffron forces. The signs of trouble bewing became evident on 21 April 21 this year when Anna Hazare addressed a press conference with Baba Ramdev and announced the 3 June fast at Jantar Mantar. Not a single IAC member was present at the conference in Gurgaon. Soon after, Anna camp leveled charges of ‘one- upmanship’ against Ramdev. Those privy to the development say that had Hazare discussed the matter with fellow Team members, they would not have agreed to idea of a joint fast with Ramdev given his proximity with the saffron party and the ongoing Enforcement Directorate enquiry against him. However, since Hazare had announced the token fast, his supporters had no option than to present a united front. For those who could see, differences were once again visible on 23 April. After the core committee meeting in Noida, Kiran Bedi and Prashant Bhushan gave divergent opinions and presented a study in contrast when asked about the association with Ramdev. While Bedi said it was is a common cause and these are two sides of the same coin, Bhushan chose his words carefully. “We support Baba Ramdev on the issue which he is undertaking and he supports us on the Lokpal issue. But, the campaign will not be held on a common platform. It was Ramdev who talked about a joint campaign but our team had nothing said anything on it, he said. Another factor why Baba Ramdev is not liked by many in the Team Anna is because of his initial response to the Lokpal movement, his reaction to the movement in general and the Bhushans in particular. In June last year, Ramdev said that there was nepotism in the joint drafting committee of Lokpal bill due to the presence of two members of the Bhushan family. In October last, Ramdev attacked Prashant Bhushan on his remarks that a plebiscite should be held to resolve the Kashmir crisis. He said that Bhushan’s remarks were dangerous and shameful and that he should be booked for his divisive remarks. So while Baba Ramdev drums up political support for his campaign against black money meeting politicians across political parties, Team Anna is conspicuously absent and silent. In the end, Baba Ramdev gains every time he holds a joint protest with Team Anna. The same is not true for Team Anna.