New Era For India- Baba Ramdev Enters Politics

Hours into Vikram Samvat 2067, the Hindu New year, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev formally announced his entry into politics. The announcement did not come as a surprise as over the years, Ramdev has often made pronouncements on the state of the nation. On Tuesday, Ramdev announced that candidates from his (yet to be formed) party would contest all seats in the next Lok Sabha elections. While vowing to stay away from elections himself, the guru said he would make sure that his proposed political party would have at least seven lakh members in each constituency. “I have been working for this for the past 20 years. Over the past two years, I have met nearly three crore people in Hardwar, trained and mobilised thousands of people in 60 districts. I want to use black money for the good of the country, ensure that offences like corruption and terrorism get the capital punishment, and turn the political system towards the policy of Swadeshi. This is not a knee-jerk decision,” he told The Indian Express. Ramdev is not the first spiritual guru to take the political plunge. Before him Deoraha Baba, Dhirendra Brahmchari and Chadraswami have done so with varying degrees of success. But Ramdev’s supporters are hopeful. “We are thrilled that Swamiji is entering politics. There is no person or party to give the country disha (direction) or care about its dasha (state). He understands the pain India is experiencing and will help fix it,” said Acharya Balkrishan, Ramdev’s key aide, from his ashram in Uttarakhand. “I have had contacts with 25 CMs, who support many of my programmes. There are honest and decent people in each party, but they are in a minority. The point is, only a person without a kalank (blemish), with a known and respected personality can take on the corrupt system. Ab panga kaun mol le ? (who is going to take on the burden ),” Ramdev said. Born Ramkishen Yadav in Haryana 57 years ago, Ramdev says Yoga helped him conquer a paralytic attack. “I studied in a school which was free till Class V and then we paid Rs 2 from Class VI,” he says about his humble beginnings. Ramdev started building his huge Yoga empire, the Divya group, in 1995 and even claimed to have found cures for AIDS and cancer through breathing exercises and yoga. Over the past decade, along with his early morning yoga shows, he has been a regular of news channels, vocally opposing homosexuality and aerated drinks. In 2006, Ramdev and CPM MP Brinda Karat got into an ugly spat after the latter accused the Yoga guru of using bones and animal products in his medicines, a charge which the guru got cleared of eventually. However, Ramdev is not your regular holy man. His strength is in addressing large gatherings and making sure he keeps his connections with the people. And he has not limited himself to one faith or sect. Anxious to expand and reinvent himself, he readily accepted a Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind invitation to visit Deoband and created a sensation by addressing thousands of cheering Imams and clerics on the benefits of Yoga. Soon, Deoband issued a fatwa okaying yoga for Muslims.