Stating that the police action against Baba Ramdev was justified,the UP Congress executive today asked the Centre to order a high-level investigation into the assets of the yoga guru,both within the country and abroad. A brief resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting that was scheduled a few days ago to discuss the partys preparations for the Assembly elections. Senior leader Ram Krishan Dwivedi raised the issue of Baba Ramdevs protest and suggested that a resolution be passed. The state executive would demand from the Government of India to order a high-level investigation into the assets of Baba Ramdev as well as his sources of income, said party spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh. Sources said Dwivedi also raised the issue of how Baba Ramdevs Patanjali Yog Samiti was given the status of a university during ND Tiwaris Congress government in Uttarakhand a few years ago,allowing the Baba to remain its life-long chancellor. The meeting termed the BJPs and RSSs support to Baba Ramdev opportunistic. It said the BJPs national executive meeting in Lucknow last week had been an aimless exercise. The state executive committee decided to hold a kisan panchayat in the twin villages of Bhatta-Parsaul in the third week of the month to explain to the farmers that the new land acquisition policy announced by the Mayawati government was an eyewash because it would not help the large number of farmers for whom the government had already issued land acquisition notification,or where farmers have got inadequate compensation and want their land back. AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi,who had courted arrest at Bhatta-Parsaul,will attend the kisan panchayat. State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi has asked the district units to contact farmers organisations,and hold public hearings on June 9 to compile a list of problems faced by the farmers in their area. The executive committee also agreed that the party should announce its first list of candidates for the Assembly before June-end. The first meeting of the state election committee has been called on June 7 to decide the criteria for the selection of candidates.
