BANGALORE: Law Minister Veerappa Moily on Saturday categorically denied that the Central government had initiated backdoor talks with Baba Ramdev, even as spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar met the yoga guru and joined the chorus of appeals to end his eight-day fast demanding the repatriation of black money stashed in foreign banks.“There is no question of holding backdoor or opendoor meetings with anyone whether it is Baba Ramdev or anybody else,’’ Moily told reporters when asked whether the Union government was engaged in backdoor talks with Ramdev to persuade him to end his eightday- old fast.Moily was also evasive on giving a direct reply when asked whether the Government had sent Art of Living (AoL) founder Sri Sri Ravishankar as its emissary to hold talks with Ramdev.Sri Sri Ravishankar had on Friday claimed that he was holding talks with Baba Ramdev on behalf of the Centre, which he debunked the next day. Offering a clarification on this, Moily said Sri Sri had contacted him over phone from Berlin and expressed his desire to speak to Ramdev.“During the conversation, Sri Sri told me that he would visit Haridwar to perform certain poojas for his father who had passed away recently.Sri Sri also told me that he would cite my name during talks to which I agreed.” On being pressed for a clear response on whether Sri Sri was the Government emissary, Moily merely said, “I don’t want to get into any kind of controversy. I have no comments on such things.” Sri Sri, on his part, said the Centre had not asked him to negotiate with Ramdev for ending his fast.“No. Nobody in the Central government has said anything to me and I have come here on my own. I will keep meeting him till he breaks it,” he said when asked if someone from the government got in touch with him on the issue.“Though he is determined, I am adamant too. I will get his fast broken.” Meanwhile, the 46-yearold yoga guru, who is being treated by doctors at the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences after his condition deteriorated on Friday, remained adamant and showed no signs of ending his fast.Doctors said on Saturday evening that Ramdev’s condition was “stable”, but his continuously falling blood pressure and pulse rate was a matter of concern.RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also appealed to Ramdev to end his fast due to his falling health, maintaining that the country needs his “guidance in the movement for national regeneration.” (with PTI inputs)
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