Uproar in MP Assembly over BJP 'patronage' to Baba Ramdev

Bhopal, Feb 23 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh Assembly today witnessed uproarious scenes with the ruling BJP members countering opposition charge that the state government was providing patronage to Yoga guru Baba Ramdev.

The controversy came to an end after state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's appeal to treat the chapter as closed and help conduct the house proceedings with dignity.

The house plunged into uproar as leader of the opposition Jamuna Devi, while participating in the debate on Governor Balram Jakhar's address to the house, raised the issue of tax evasion saying the Chief Minister's wife headed a committee that sold tickets for Baba Ramdev's Yoga camp here at Rs 2100 per ticket and sold many truck load of medicines.

Immediately, the ministers were on their feet taking exception to Ms Devi's remark and sought her apology. The BJP members were not satisfied even after Dr Govind Singh of Congress expressed regret over Ms Devi's remark.

Amid interruptions from both sides, Speaker Ishwardas Rohani expressed his displeasure over the conduct of Mr Ramlakhan Sharma of CPI-M saying the legislator, at times, crossed his limits. A government helicopter was used to ferry the Yoga guru, Mr Sharma said. The Speaker also expunged the remarks of few other members, who spoke without permission.

Ultimately, calm was restored with the Chief Minister's intervention requesting the House treat the matter as closed.

Ms Jamuna Devi criticised the ''government's move to allot in a clandestine manner 1800 acre of land at Bhedaghat near Jabalpur on the bank of the Narmada river to facilitate Baba Ramdev set up an Ashram''.

''When the Baba himself clarified that he did not want even an inch of land, who were behind the conspiracy to allot a huge chunk of land to the Baba displacing several poor farmers'', she asked.

The Speaker also requested the members to desist from taking the name of Baba Ramdev, who could not defend himself in the House.

The leader of the opposition also clarified that she had no intention to drag the Chief Minister's wife Sadhana Singh nor Baba Ramdev into any controversy as she held them in high esteem. She, however, said the Assembly premises should not have been used for the Baba's training session.

The Speaker clarified the Assembly premises was earlier used for a similar Yoga camp by a Swami of the Monghyr ashram. ''We have done nothing wrong by allowing Baba Ramdev to conduct the session at the Assembly premises'', he added.

Ms Devi also took exception to allotting costly land to institutions named after political and spiritual leaders. About 20 acre land in Bhopal was allotted to an institution named after former BJP president Kushabhau Thakre, she added.

UNI