Two days after he ended his fast, yoga guru Baba Ramdev was discharged on Tuesday from a city hospital and said he did not commit any "sin" by demanding action against corruption and would continue his campaign for return of black money stashed away abroad.

"We want that people with clean background should only go to Parliament and assemblies. We want that about Rs 4 lakh crore black money stashed away abroad should be brought back," Ramdev told reporters after being discharged from the Himalayan Hospital here.

"We have not committed any sin by waging a war against corruption and seeking return of black money from foreign countries. The fight against corruption will continue with the help of all countrymen till the last breath," he said.

46-year-old Ramdev said the movement was started for the welfare of people so that children of poor farmers can also become doctors and engineers.

Criticising the government for the crackdown on his supporters at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi, he said what his supporters faced there "will not go waste".

"In the corrupt system, there will be a sea change,? he said, expressing support for Rajbala, who is battling for life after suffering spinal injuries at Ramlila Grounds.

The yoga guru ended his nine-day long fast on June 11 following appeals by Sri Sri Ravishankar and other spiritual leaders. He had gone on a hunger strike on June 4 demanding tougher anti-corruption laws.
 

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UPA govt wants to silence voices against corruption: Modi

The Congress-led UPA government should refrain from silencing people's voices against corruption and blackmoney stashed away abroad, according to Bihar deputy chief minister S K Modi.

"The Centre should act against corruption and blackmoney stashed away abroad and refrain from gagging people's voices against corruption and blackmoney which have emerged as major issue now," Modi told reporters, apparently referring to the agitation launched by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev.

"The Centre should also not not harbour the illusion that the fast Ramdev broke is a victory," he said.

"The Congress wants to divert people's attention from corruption by linking those fighting against corruption to RSS and BJP and it has also stopped to such a low that it is trying to inflict insult by ordering probe into the property of those raising their heads against the government for its failure to tackle corruption and bring blackmoney stashed away abroad back to India," he alleged.

"After Ramdev, the Congress leaders are training their guns against Hazare to sully his image... it is unfortunate," he said.   

Keep PM out of purview of Lokpal: Badal

Calling for inclusion of all chief ministers and the entire judiciary under the purview of the proposed Lokpal, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Tuesday that the prime minister should not be included in the ambit of the ombudsman.

"According to my personal view, the office of the Prime Minister should be excluded from the proposed Lokpal in the larger national interest," he told reporters here.

Badal said the prime minister has to discharge "extremely sensitive duties while dealing with several international and diplomatic issues, which warranted certain norms to maintain the secrecy of office".

He, however, said all chief ministers and the entire judiciary including the chief justice and judges of the supreme court and high courts should be included in the ambit of the Lokpal.

Badal accused the Congress-led UPA government of failing miserably to curb poverty, illiteracy and unemployment despite its tall claims of safeguarding the interests of the poor and disadvantage sections of the society.

On the proposed sit-in protest across the state on June 16 by the SAD against corruption and high inflation, Badal said it would be a wake up call to remind the Congress-led central government of its democratic duties towards society.

Badal also demanded that the Centre immediately initiate effective steps to bring back the black money stashed in the foreign banks.

On the political prospects of yoga guru Ramdev, the chief minister said he was not a politician but only a yoga teacher who led a social cause to weed out corruption and bring back black money to the country from abroad.

On the issue of militant Davinderpal Singh Bhullar's clemency plea against his death sentence being rejected by the president, Badal said SAD had already taken up the issue with the President to review his mercy petition.

Replying to a query on criticism by the Congress of the one-day session of the state Assembly, the chief minister said the session was deliberately kept for a day as the only business was the election of the Deputy Speaker.

He, however, said the state government would definitely hold a session of the Assembly in September to meet its constitutional obligation.

The chief minister said all sports clubs in the state would be provided sports kits within a month to clear the menace of drug addiction among youth. He also announced that equipment for gymnasiums in villages would also be given for the youth to channelise their energy in a constructive manner.