Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
15 August 2012. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday in his Independence Day message promised further steps to reduce corruption and ensure transparency in governance. “We will continue our efforts to bring more transparency and accountability in the work of public servants and to reduce corruption,” the Prime Minister said in his address to the nation on the Independence Day. “But we will also take care that these measures do not result in a situation in which the morale of public functionaries… gets affected because of baseless allegations and unnecessary litigation,” he said. In the meantime, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev who ended his fast on Tuesday said that he would turn his attention to campaigning against the ruling party in general elections scheduled for 2014. He accused the government of corruption and of not doing enough to bring back bribe money stashed overseas. “There should be no ambivalence in our strategy which is to defeat the Congress. My slogan to you today is: boycott the Congress Party and ensure its defeat in the next elections,” he told supporters. The main opposition parties—including the rightwing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party—several socialist and regional parties have offered support to Ramdev, with several political leaders sitting with the guru for short spells over the past six days. On Monday, police briefly detained Ramdev after he tried to lead an anti-corruption march toward the national parliament building, police said. He was transported to the stadium, where he was detained for hours. Ramdev and his supporters stayed overnight at the venue despite being released.
