Fight against corruption in India about to turn into a revolution

Now this could get real nasty real fast.

Here's the story.

Baba Ramdev, an Indian political activist, is protesting against ``Indian black money``. That would be money earned on the black market, which of course no income taxes have been paid on. There's classes in India and the richer classes are protecting themselves by letting this go... estimates say the amount of Indian black money is around 1.4 TRILLION US$.

Since most of India is really poor, he has good reasons to be pissed.

India's ``standards of living``

India's Planning Commission set the poverty line for cities at 578 rupees ($12.75) per person a month – or 2,312 rupees ($51.38) for a family of four. For rural India, it's even lower at about 450 rupees ($9.93). Using the commission's poverty line, 37 percent of India's 1.2 billion people qualify as poor.

The World Bank global poverty line, at $1.25 a day or about $38 per month, is three times higher than India's urban level.

So the guy and his followers protested over this by doing a fast to death.
Swami Ramdev begins fast to death

Swami Ramdev, India's most famous yoga guru, began a mass fast to the death on Saturday to demand reforms including the death penalty for corrupt officials in an anti-graft campaign that has undermined an embattled and scandal-tainted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Tapping into spiralling voter anger at corruption as Asia's third largest economy booms, the guru has called on the government to pursue billions of dollars in illegal funds abroad and the withdrawal of high denomination bank notes.

But then the cops came, in the middle of the night.

Midnight police swoop on Baba Ramdev, trying to end protest

Of course not everyone in the government liked this :
Advani asks President to convene emergency Parliament session on Ramdev issue

Terming the government crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev similar to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani today urged President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to convene an emergency session of Parliament.

“I feel this is political fascism. I want the president to take cognisance of the happenings in the country for the past six months and convene an emergency session of Parliament. I would urge the president that she should not be a passive observer,” Advani told reporters in Chennai.

“Police beat up the young and old. It was like Jallianwala Bagh. The Prime Minister, and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is also UPA chairperson of the UPA, owe an apology to Ramdev and the whole country,” he added, while charging the police of forcing Ramdev to end his fast-unto-death protest against corruption at Delhi’s Ramlila ground.

Attacking peaceful protesters which among had kids, elderly and women, how nice of them.

Team Hazare attacks government as Anna fasts

As Gandhian Anna Hazare Wednesday began a day-long fast to denounce the police action against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, civil society activists launched a blistering attack on the ruling Congress party in the presence of a huge crowd.

"What happened there is shameful. The people who gathered there were protesting peacefully. If the government can baton-charge peaceful protestors, then they should remove Gandhiji's photo from all government offices and the currency notes as well," he added.

"The government action at Ramlila ground was an attack on democracy."

+1

Congress leader resigns protesting action against Ramdev
Not all in the Indian government are corrupt.

Day by day the supporters of Baba Ramdev have increased, and the recent addition to the list is the famous hacker group 'Anonymous'.
Yay Anonymous!

Even the NY times is reporting about it :
In India, Seeking Revolution in a Democracy

And this won't help things :
GOVERNMENT CLEARED ACTION AGAINST BABA RAMDEV: CHIDAMBARAM

And now this :
Ramdev's plan to build army: 'Let's see who gets beaten up at Ramlila Maidan next time'

Yoga Guru Ramdev on Wednesday challenged the government and vowed to create an army of 11000 young people to strengthen his fight against corruption. While addressing his followers at Haridwar, Ramdev said he was planning to build a special brigade of 11000 young people, including both men and women below the age of 40, to fight against the 'atrocities' by the government machinery.

Ramdev on Wednesday called for men and women to join his 'army'.

He said, "The young people in 'army' must be dedicated and they will be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice."

He said in his speech reported by TV channels: "They will be given arms training. We will build an army of 11,000 men and women."

The 'armed force' will have weapons and propoer training to use them, but they will act only in self-defence.

The yoga guru also said, "Next time at Ramlila Maidan, it will be Ravanlila. Let's see who gets beaten up."

Let the revolution begin!

India VS Corruption
Debate: Will Ramdev budge? ... TIMES NOW VEDIO

Hectic back-channel efforts were on till late tonight to persuade Baba Ramdev from going ahead with his indefinite hunger strike from Saturday as the Congress party and the government held consultations at the highest level to avert a Hazare-like protest on the streets. Indications that both the sides were in serious discussions came when Ramdev called off a press conference scheduled this evening at Ramlila Maidan where he is to sit on fast two days later. The cancellation of the media briefing took place on the ground that there was "serious dialogue" on with the government and that he would update the media about the "conclusive" outcome tomorrow after the second-round of talks.TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami debates the issue with Chandan Mitra, Editor-in-Chief, The Pioneer and MP, BJP; Vinod Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, Outlook; Anupam Kher, Actor; Bachi Karkaria, Author and Columnist; Nalini Singh, Senior Journalist; Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research and Devinder Sharma, Founder Member India Against Corruption.

It seems they are revolting in every
nation BUT the US.

I hear Americans are procrastinators
but this is ridiculous.

my best wishes to the folks of India
on their protest. May God protect them.

reply to post by Vitchilo

I think he'll be silenced if not squashed just like the others.

Such is the power of corruption globally.

ouch, india for all its poverty is a pretty major power not to mention the worlds largest democracy. If India actually revolts then thats going to be a big event.

I wonder weather they'll fully embrace Ghandi's philosophies or follow another route if they do revolt...

Originally posted by monkofmimir
ouch, india for all its poverty is a pretty major power not to mention the worlds largest democracy. If India actually revolts then thats going to be a big event.

I wonder weather they'll fully embrace Ghandi's philosophies or follow another route if they do revolt...

It will not happen unless if it was ruled by a foreign power.

The domestic issues will be squashed or bought out The corruption is rampant and they've come a long way since 1947. There are one too many political parties. This means they're all waiting eagerly to step in and use the other's disadvantage to their advantage

A man willing to give his life for convictions. Sacrifice. I applaud the baba ramdev. Restore your india baba ramdev.

More on Ramdev.

INDIAN_EXPRESS_LINK

Ramdev protests spread to Nepal

Protests began in neighbouring Nepal's capital Monday after the Indian police abruptly ended the fast undertaken by yoga guru Baba Ramdev in the Indian capital New Delhi.

The Patanjali Yog Kendra established in Kathmandu by the yoga teacher, whose fans number millions in India and abroad, Monday took out a silent protest rally from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to the foreign ministry office nearby, condemning the police eviction in New Delhi.

Protesters, including officials of the Yog Kendras and students, had sought to hold a meet at a public hall in the neighbourhood Monday but were prevented by police who surrounded the venue and prevented them from leaving.

The detained officials then called up Nepal's Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal asking him to intervene. The premier consulted his Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and then permitted the protesters to convey their grievances in a restrained manner to the Indian Embassy and the foreign ministry.

Ramdev follower critical with spinal injuries:

The condition of Raj Bala, the woman who received spinal injuries in the police lathicharge at Ramlila Maidan in the wee hours of Sunday, remained
critical today at the G B Pant hospital here, doctors said.

Raj Bala (51) is one of the 71 people injured in the pre-dawn police crackdown at Ramlila Maidan, where yoga guru Ramdev was holding his indefinite hunger strike.According to doctors at the hospital Raj Bala is still in a critical condition and under continuous monitoring.

"She does not have spontaneous respiration and is on ventilatory support. She is conscious and is obeying simple verbal commands. She is quadraplegic and is on drugs to maintain blood pressure," a doctor with G B Pant hospital said.

Crazy police!

The problem of castes in India... just an example :
Midday meals cooked by dalits go waste

A dalit chief minister in Mayawati has not changed the deep-seated caste bias in schools of Uttar Pradesh. In 40% schools of Shahjehanpur, Badaun and Pilibhit districts, teachers do not taste the mid-day meal food and students refuse to eat it since the cooks belong to lower caste.

So the highest castes won't eat the food because it was cooked by lower castes... India needs a revolution... badly.