Left parties accuse government of undermining democracy

Left parties criticised the UPA of striking backroom deals with Baba Ramdev The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has condemned the midnight police action against Baba Ramdev and his supporters at the Ramlila Maidan, calling it “deplorable and short-sighted”, while questioning the credibility of the yoga guru, who made backstage deals with the government and allowed the presence of communal elements on the stage. “There was no law-and-order issue involved here and the police action was unwarranted,” a release from the party said. However, it was quick to add that Ramdev had trivialised the fight against black money by going for backroom deals with the government. “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,” it said. Accusing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for not being serious about tackling the issue of black money despite the Supreme Court’s repeated criticisms of the government, the CPI(M) reiterated its demand for taking necessary legal steps for the immediate repatriation of the money illegally kept abroad. The party also demanded that the names of those involved in keeping illegal money should be made public. Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja put the blame on the government for the crisis created out of Ramadev’s fast. He was critical of the government for the way with which it dealt with the movements of Ramdev and Anna Hazare. Asked whether the detention of Ramdev was undemocratic, Raja retorted, “What do you mean by democracy here? The government did not consult any political party. It has ignored the political parties and undermined the parliamentary system.” He said, “No political party knows what deals and negotiations the government had struck with Baba Ramdev.”