Ramdev unites Indian opposition, draws tax probe

Just when it looked like the swami was sinking, Manmohan Singh's Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government gave him new life.  

That's right, folks: Baba Ramdev may have proven that he won't take yes for an answer when the government bent over backward to give into all his demands — however absurd — on addressing corruption, black money stashed in foreign accounts, and (huh?) the dominance of English in engineering colleges. But just when it looked like the Baba was going to end up a laughing stock, the Congress snatched defeat from the jaws of victory (just like India's cricket team used to do back in the days before Mahendra Singh Dhoni).  By calling a midnight raid on the Ramlila Ground where Ramdev and his supporters (50,000 by unofficial estimates) were fasting, and unleashing the police to do their nasty work with canes and riot gear, the Congress has succeeded where no other party or leader has been able.  

It has united the Opposition.

All the major parties outside the UPA have condemned the strike against Ramdev — seen as an act against freedom of expression / freedom to assemble — and now politicians of every stripe, many of whom would otherwise not dare to speak up about corruption, are making it look as though the Congress is trying to avoid acting against graft.

So what's the answer?  Go after the Baba's own black money…  you know what they say about Swamis who live in glass ashrams.

The government has asked the Enforcement Directorare and Income Tax departments to look into properties and companies of the yoga guru, NDTV said.

Under the scanner are around 200 companies in which Ramdev and his associates are involved, including Patanjali Ayurved Limited and Arogya Herbs.

It's not the first time that folks have questioned where (perhaps) the richest guru in the land gets off shouting about clandestine bank accounts and ill-gotten gains. Back in February, a group of sadhus (Hindu mendicants–also not always as poor as they look) demanded a probe into the yoga guru's assets.

The national spokesperson of the Akhada Parishad, Baba Hat Yogi, said: " A decade ago, Ramdev used to move on a bicycle. He even had to struggle to find moneyto fix his punctured cycle. Now he flies on a chopper. We demand an inquiry into the income and assets of the Ramdev ashram."

Then, as now, Ramdev said, essentially, bring it on.

"We are ready for any inquiry," he told a local TV station. "The central government has conducted such investigations twice and they are welcome to do so again. Is it a sin to speak about corruption in India?"