On Police Action against Ramdev and his Supporters

The midnight police action against Shri Ramdev and his supporters on the instructions of the Central Government is both deplorable and shortsighted. Scores of men and women have been injured, some of them seriously. There was no law and order issue involved here and the police action was unwarranted.

However the manner in which Ramdev’s demands were drafted and the way in which he has conducted his interactions with the Government coming to a secret agreement to withdraw the hunger strike on the basis of assurances, then reneging and announcing its extension—trivialised the seriousness of the issue of black money and made it farcical. Clearly the backstage deal between the Government and Ramdev fell apart but this brings little credit to either party and indeed raises question about the credibility of both. The presence of communal elements on Ramdev’s stage also showed up his essential ideological bias.

The elimination of black money and the need to repatriate the illegitimate money holdings of Indian citizens in foreign countries is a matter of the utmost gravity and legitimate public concern. It is a matter of note that the Supreme Court has time and again criticized the Government and relevant executive authorities for their failure to take firm and effective measures to bring back the illegal money stashed abroad. It is clear that the Congress party and the UPA Government are not in the least serious about tackling the issue of black money.

The CPI(M) reiterates its demand for the immediate repatriation of the money illegally kept abroad, it demands that the names of those involved should be made public and that the Government take urgent the necessary legal steps in this direction.