NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – An Indian guru known to millions from a television show on Hinduism and yoga was arrested at a protest against corruption near the parliament yesterday, putting pressure on a Congress Party-led government trying to revive its political fortunes.
Amid the sounds of conch shells, police took Baba Ramdev to a waiting bus after the bearded guru, known for sitting in the lotus position in saffron robes as he performs deep breathing exercises on his show, called for political change.
“Remove the Congress Party and save the nation,” he said at the start of his “protest” walk in the afternoon with thousands of supporters as opposition political leadership rushed to be seen near him.
A Congress spokesman called the rally a political stunt.
Ramdev’s anti-graft campaign is loosely aligned with a message by social activist Anna Hazare, who staged a hunger strike last summer against corruption that roused public ire against the government, though his popularity has waned.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this month, seeking to gain political momentum and boost the economy, brought back pro-market reformer Palaniappan Chidambaram as finance minister, cheering markets but also raising questions over whether the government has the mandate to get the job done
