New Delhi: Congress on Monday alleged that Ramdev and Team Anna were hand in glove with BJP-led NDA and the masks have now fallen with their open support to the yoga guru's agitation on black money issue.
Asked why Congress had not reacted to Ramdev's call on black money, Congress media department chief Janardhan Dwivedi said, "It is true that we did not say anything as we cannot speak their language or behave like them. And now it is out in the open how politics is being done in a different guise.
"You would recall that a few years ago there used to be a lot of discussion about masks in politics. The country has seen today that the masks have fallen and the real faces have been revealed."
Dwivedi was referring to BJP President Nitin Gadkari and NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav addressing Ramdev's supporters at their rally at Ramlila grounds today and expressing their support to him.
Referring to Team Anna, he said, "What kind of a fight and whose fight this is, is also becoming clear. Their other partners, who had announced the formation of a party, have said in their private conversations that they will not contest in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Which face is this?"
Dwivedi said that they have said they will not contest in Gujarat and Himachal but will fight in other places and will oppose the Congress.
Referring to Gadkari and Yadav, Dwivedi said, "BJP President and NDA Convenor have gone there and they (Ramdev's supporters) say they have no relationship with political parties. Hence, I am saying the masks are out." Dwivedi alleged that Ramdev and civil society activists
were not agitating to bring back Indian black money stashed abroad but only trying to protect the black money inside the country.
Hence this fight is not about black money, he said.
"The whole country knows a White Paper has come out on black money. The Finance Minister has made a statement. Steps are being taken and will be taken in future," he said.
He maintained that everybody is concerned about the black money issue. "But here the problem is that bringing back this money from abroad is not the issue and they are doing all this to protect the black money inside the country," Dwivedi said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, August 13, 2012, 21:51