AAP will have to pay heavy price for deviating from path: Ramdev

Nagpur: Stating that the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party has drifted from its path, yoga guru Ramdev today criticised the party for allying with the Congress despite vehemently opposing it earlier.

Now, AAP will have to suffer the political consequences for "handing over its 'jhadu' (AAP's election symbol broom) in the hands of Congress," he said.

Baba Ramdev. AP

"The Aam Aadmi Party has deviated from its path while talking of fighting corruption and changing the entire system for which it will have to pay a heavy price," Ramdev told reporters here.

Claiming to be one of the founders of the anti-corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare in 2010, he said it subsequently led to the formation of the AAP.

Dismissing the possibility of emergence of third front during the forthcoming general elections, he said they neither have policies nor leadership.

He said that he would launch a nationwide campaign for ensuring victory of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls on sidelines of a grand yoga camp which will be organised in New Delhi on 23 March in which top religious leaders and lakhs of people will participate.

Ramdev also said that from 1 March, he would launch a door-to-door campaign to motivate people and create awareness about Modi. Yoga workers would visit around 500 houses everyday and send SMSes to voters as a part of campaign for Modi, he said.

He exuded confidence that a government led by Modi will eradicate corruption and bring back the black money stashed abroad.

A team led by BJP's former national president Nitin Gadkari was preparing a vision document which will focus on free education to people, he said.

Ramdev said he wants a National Farmers Commission for protecting the interests of farmers and streamlining farm prices in the country.

The yoga guru also demanded that authorities should order deposition of higher denomination currency notes dated before 2013 in banks only and people should not be allowed to exchange it.

The Reserve Bank had recently decided to withdraw all currency notes issued prior to 2005, including Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations, after March 31 in a move apparently aimed at curbing black money and fake currencies.

PTI