Mayawati, Mulayam pull up Centre over police action on Ramdev

Bangalore/Lucknow, June 5 (ANI): Asserting that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) condemns the crackdown on Baba Ramdev and his supporters in strongest terms, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati requested the Supreme Court to order an investigation into the incident stating that justice cannot be expected from the Central Government.

"Our party condemns this in strongest terms. Our party requests the honourable Supreme Court to order a judicial enquiry or whichever probe it deems necessary. Heavy punishment should be given to the guilty so that such 'goondaism' is not unleashed on anybody sitting in dharna in any part of the country," she said at the beginning of her speech at the day-long conference of BSP's Karnataka office-bearers in Bangalore.

Mayawati further said the BSP was requesting the apex court to intervene because all developments at Delhi's Ramlila ground took place at the Centre's direction.

Meanwhile, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav condemning the incident said the action shows Centre has lost its mental balance.

"The way in which police brutally dealt with Ramdev and his supporters, including women, shows that the UPA Government is afraid of him. It's an act against democracy. It seems that the Central Government has lost is mental balance," Yadav told reporters in Lucknow.

"The UPA Government might feel that it has three years left. But the common man will oust them for their undemocratic act. The situation arising out of Ramdev's protest could have been solved with talks," he added.

Charging the ruling Congress Party, Yadav further said: "A Congress leader said that Baba is a thug. I want to say that Congress is the biggest thug and it should introspect its deeds

"Samajwadi Party did not have an alliance with Congress and it was supporting the UPA government only on the issue of keeping communal forces at bay. If Advaniji (BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani) wants to oust the UPA, I will support it," he added, when asked whether he was in support of the current UPA Government.

The talks between the Central Government and Ramdev crashed last night with both sides citing betrayal.

The cabinet ministers, who were making all attempts to persuade Ramdev to give up his fast said that he had promised he would end his fast last evening. A letter was produced in this regard.

Ramdev, however, said the government was lying, and added that the letter had been conditional upon the government agreeing to his list of demands.

Ramdev started his indefinite 'fast-unto-death' stir on Saturday to demand several radical reforms in the prevailing political system, including a death penalty for corrupt officials. (ANI)