Anti-dalit comments: Raut demands Ramdev's arrest

Mumbai, April 28: Maharashtra EGS Minister Nitin Raut today demanded immediate arrest of Yoga guru Ramdev for his alleged "anti-dalit" and "anti-women" remarks and wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking his intervention.

"Spontaneous protests were taking place in various parts of the country as dalit sentiments have been hurt. Police cases have been filed against Ramdev in Nagpur as well," said Raut, a dalit leader from Nagpur, while addressing a press conference here.

Raut said he had urged the President to order Ramdev's arrest immediately and make him appear before the law of the land to pacify the hurt sentiments of the dalits.

Condemning the remarks, Raut said it showed the anti-dalit and anti-women mindset of the RSS and BJP. "What Narendra Modi cannot talk, BJP is getting Ramdev to say in public," he alleged.

Raut also said that Ramdev had not apologised for his comments but only expressed his regret "in a mocking way" and "the regret has no meaning because what Ramdev wanted to say was deliberate." He said that Ramdev, who has worked in the field of yoga to heal ailments of people, should not talk politics in such a manner.

"Even though police cases have been filed against Ramdev, EC is not the competent authority to act against him in this case," he said, adding Ramdev should be booked for creating tension between two communities and threatening the social and national unity of the country.

The Minister demanded that President of India should order the concerned authorities to take necessary action and bring Ramdev before the law of the land. Mumbai Youth Congress also held a dharna against Ramdev at Azad Maidan.

Ganesh Kumar Yadav, the youth wing chief demanded that Maharashtra government should ban Ramdev's entry into the state, otherwise it would create law and order problem.

"We also challenge Ramdev to enter Mumbai and conduct his programmes," Yadav said. NCP's women's cell chief Vidya Chavan led a protest of the party's women workers at Azad Maidan and condemned Ramdev's remarks that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visits Dalit homes for "honeymoon" and said the yoga preacher should be booked under atrocities act and arrested.

PTI