Ramdev extends issue-based support to Narendra Modi, calls Congress `disastrous`

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev reiterated support to Bharatiya Janata Party`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, but added that he needed to know the Gujarat Chief Minister`s policies.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday reiterated support to Bharatiya Janata Party`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, but added that he needed to know the Gujarat Chief Minister`s policies ahead of 2014 General Elections. Talking to reporters, Ramdev said that he will support Modi only on certain issues. He said that Modi should promise to bring back black money stashed abroad and to declare it a national asset. The yoga guru said he will hold discussions with the BJP leadership on the matter on January 5. "Support to Modi will be on issues. Nation is built on policies, personality and intention. If policies of Modi and character of the BJP, in favour of bringing back the black money and tackling the corruption in this country, then we will be making an announcement regarding this year`s Lok Sabha elections. We have invited BJP president Rajnath Singh, party leader Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi and they will put forward their opinions in the discussion." Hitting out at the Congress, Ramdev said the grand old party was disastrous for the nation. Notably, the Prime Minister used the same epithet for Modi at his rare press conference yesterday. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted his failure, in tackling the corruption, price rise and poverty in the country, during his interaction with the media on Friday. Presenting his economic vision, the yoga guru demanded the abolition of all the taxes across the country. Blaming the wrong economic policies employed by the Congress as the reason behind rising inflation, Ramdev said there should be only one tax that should be levied which Bank Transaction Tax (BTT), which should be of one percent. Demanding a rollback of 500-1000 rupee notes, Ramdev opined that economic policy reforms would help in curbing inflation. "My sources tell me that the PM wanted a Nobel prize, so that is why defence policies were so weak and dangerous," added Ramdev.