Stepping put of his popular role of a yoga guru, Baba Ramdeo on Thursday tried to hitch a hike on the political highway riding on bandwagon of 'Swadeshi', high morality and anti-corruption. He said he was taking on the mantle of a reformer, a catalyst for change from the present system as people were fed up with a political set up where accountability was at discount.
Addressing a moderately large nonelection time public rally of around 15,000 people at the Reshimbagh grounds which lies in the shadow of RSS working headquarters, the saffron-clad Ramdeo dropped several hints of political ambitions and even bravado.
"I am facing a threat from the established political class who want to eliminate me. But I have decided to live and die for the country," he declared.
Ramdeo went ballistic on the "blackmoney of Rs 400 lakh crores" stashed away by Indians illegally in banks abroad and said he would not rest till that huge fund is brought back to the country. He also said that people would no longer live with dynastic rules in politics.
He went on to ask some leading questions to the motley crowd who were mostly drawn from villages in the district and comprising workers of his well-knit organsations like Bharat Swabhiman and Patanjali Yogapeeth. "Will you vote for a person who is untainted and clean, on my direction? Will you put your money on the right candidates in an election? Will you sacrifice your life for a country bereft of corruption?"
Expectedly, the answers came in a roar of affirmation and raising of hands in support, something not unusual for Ramdeo who is used to captive audience in television shows on yoga spirituality for over a decade.
The yoga guru's followers had been combing through villages for days to mobilize crowds for the rally and had claimed at least two to three lakh will attend. But, blame it on an interesting cricket match day or disinterest in a 'saint' taking to politics, the attendance was much less than expected.
The yoga guru gave three main directions to his followers - practice yoga daily to get rid of illness, give up vices like liquor and tobacco and, last, boycott of all products manufactured and marketed by multinational companies. "This way you will save Rs 25 lakh crores - Rs 10 lakh crore spent on overpriced medicines, Rs 10 crore on addictive vices and Rs 5 lakh that is siphoned off by MNCs by selling their products to hapless Indians."
He accused political leaders of having stakes in MNCs and promoting them at the cost of indigenous enterprise and business.
Ramdeo announced that he was launching his campaign of bringing the change at the ground level by adopting ten villages in each of the 624 districts in the country. These villages will be developed as models free of addiction, chemical fertilsers.
"I want to reverse the economy and focus on rural realities that prevailed at the time of independence," he declared.
Addressing a moderately large nonelection time public rally of around 15,000 people at the Reshimbagh grounds which lies in the shadow of RSS working headquarters, the saffron-clad Ramdeo dropped several hints of political ambitions and even bravado.
"I am facing a threat from the established political class who want to eliminate me. But I have decided to live and die for the country," he declared.
Ramdeo went ballistic on the "blackmoney of Rs 400 lakh crores" stashed away by Indians illegally in banks abroad and said he would not rest till that huge fund is brought back to the country. He also said that people would no longer live with dynastic rules in politics.
He went on to ask some leading questions to the motley crowd who were mostly drawn from villages in the district and comprising workers of his well-knit organsations like Bharat Swabhiman and Patanjali Yogapeeth. "Will you vote for a person who is untainted and clean, on my direction? Will you put your money on the right candidates in an election? Will you sacrifice your life for a country bereft of corruption?"
Expectedly, the answers came in a roar of affirmation and raising of hands in support, something not unusual for Ramdeo who is used to captive audience in television shows on yoga spirituality for over a decade.
The yoga guru's followers had been combing through villages for days to mobilize crowds for the rally and had claimed at least two to three lakh will attend. But, blame it on an interesting cricket match day or disinterest in a 'saint' taking to politics, the attendance was much less than expected.
The yoga guru gave three main directions to his followers - practice yoga daily to get rid of illness, give up vices like liquor and tobacco and, last, boycott of all products manufactured and marketed by multinational companies. "This way you will save Rs 25 lakh crores - Rs 10 lakh crore spent on overpriced medicines, Rs 10 crore on addictive vices and Rs 5 lakh that is siphoned off by MNCs by selling their products to hapless Indians."
He accused political leaders of having stakes in MNCs and promoting them at the cost of indigenous enterprise and business.
Ramdeo announced that he was launching his campaign of bringing the change at the ground level by adopting ten villages in each of the 624 districts in the country. These villages will be developed as models free of addiction, chemical fertilsers.
"I want to reverse the economy and focus on rural realities that prevailed at the time of independence," he declared.
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