Congress slams Baba Ramdev for targetting PM

New Delhi, June 3 (ANI): The Congress Party on Sunday hit out at yoga guru Baba Ramdev for criticizing Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, saying that the nation would not accept the defaming of established institutions.

"Annaji and Ramdevji should understand that in the name of fighting corruption, if they want to destroy the established institutions or defame the institutions, then the country would not accept it," said senior Congress leader Harish Rawat.

To a poser on the FDI is also being termed as black money by Baba Ramdev, Rawat said: "Then wherever the foreign investment is being done or any country or any country which welcomes foreign investment, means that the economy of those countries are running on black money, whether it is China or any other country."

"Our economy needs investment and we want foreign investment, this is the reason that the government proposed to open FDI in multi-retail sector," he added.

Baba Ramdev, who is presently sitting on a daylong joint fast along with veteran social activist Anna Hazare at the Parliament Street here, earlier today said the Prime Minister must keep his Cabinet clean.

"The Prime Minster should not just be honest himself, he should be democratically, constitutionally honest. Mr. PM you must keep your cabinet ministers honest too," he told a gathering of around 5,000 people present at the Parliament Street to support his cause.

Further taking on the UPA Government, Baba Ramdev said: "The ruling party says the country doesn't run by protests, laws are not made on the streets. They say they are representatives of the people... we say the law of the land says the people are supreme... We have laws that were foisted on us by our British rulers...we need new swadeshi laws."

"If netas are not corrupt, why are they shying away from making a strong Lokpal Bill," he added.

Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare began their daylong fast against corruption at the Parliament Street here earlier this morning against corruption and for their demand for a stronger Lokpal Bill.

Both Baba Ramdev and Hazare, who will highlight the demand for the return of black money stashed away by Indians abroad during their fast, visited Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat earlier this morning. The two spent some time meditating at Rajghat. Baba Ramdev also visited the nearby Shahid Park.

This is for the first time that Baba Ramdev and Hazare are sitting on a joint fast. Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia will be joining Hazare and Ramdev during today's fast. (ANI)