Washington, D.C. (June 6, 2011) - The Hindu
American Foundation (HAF) strongly denounced Saturday night’s brutal
police attack in New Delhi on a peaceful gathering of fifty thousand
people led by the world renowned yoga guru Baba Ramdev. Shortly after
midnight, on the orders of India’s ruling Congress Party led UPA
government, police officers used batons and tear gas on the unarmed
crowd, including women and children, which had gathered in a
yoga-inspired anti-corruption protest to demand that the Government of
India account for billions of dollars in “black” money. “Black” money,
gained through corruption schemes, is commonly believed to be hidden
overseas by many politicians and businesses.
Scores of Hindu Americans were also participating in symbolic fasts
this week to support Baba Ramdev’s call for a “satyagraha” against
corruption, echoing Mahatma Gandhi’s own method of peaceful, civil
disobedience.
"The first and foremost responsibility of any functioning democracy
is to protect the civil rights of its citizens, even when they speak
against the sitting government,” said Rishi Bhutada, a member of the HAF
Executive Council. “When a government acts contrary to that principle,
it risks ruling by tyranny, as seen in the actions of a government that
would attack one of India’s respected Hindu religious leaders and his
unarmed supporters.”
The ruling Congress Party of India recently became the subject of
investigation after under the table sales of India’s 2G mobile network
connections led to the loss of almost $40 billion in revenue for the
central government. Rampant bribery and embezzlement during the lead up
to the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 also made international headlines,
and a prominent Congress Party leader was arrested in connection earlier
this month. Most political observers hold the current Manmohan Singh
government culpable for gross negligence, while some have claimed that
the practice of storing laundered wealth overseas runs right up to the
doors of the Congress Party headquarters, and its leader, Sonia Gandhi.
Baba Ramdev had called for a hunger-strike and the current protest,
reacting to this unprecedented string of high-profile scandals that
involved high-level politicians within the UPA government.
"The gratuitous, middle-of-the-night attack on Baba Ramdev and tens
of thousands of peaceful supporters was revolting to witness, and
clearly an attempt to detract attention from the sitting government’s
unwillingness to curb corruption within its ranks,” said Jay Kansara,
HAF’s Washington, D.C. based Assistant Director. “HAF has called
attention to similarly brutal attacks on peacefully gathering Hindus in
Malaysia before, and is closely monitoring persecution of Hindus in
Pakistan and Bangladesh--it is an utter shock to see the Congress-UPA
combine emulate such tactics.”
A well respected spiritual leader both in and outside of India,
Baba Ramdev has traveled many times to the United States, delivering
discourses on yoga and holistic lifestyles attended by thousands. In
2009, he laid the foundation to jointly explore with MD Anderson Cancer
Institute potential naturopathic treatments for cancer. Though his
message is apolitical, he began speaking out forcefully against
corruption five years ago and rose to prominence as a critic of the
sitting government, especially since the recent scandals.
"Baba Ramdev touches the lives of millions of people everyday
through his message of peace, wellness, and enlightenment, and his
non-violent movement to end corruption resonated with the ideals of a
healthy democracy,” added Bhutada. “Just this past March, HAF leaders
were testifying in support of India’s human rights record and history of
democratic dissent in front of the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom. It is a sad irony that Saturday’s
attack is contrary to our words in India’s support, and we call upon the
UPA government to reaffirm its commitment to religious pluralism and
democracy in light of this week’s events.”
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