Yoga guru Ramdev was todayarrested along with his supporters when they tried to marchtowards Parliament on an anti-Congress plank demandingimmediate steps to bring back black money and to protestagainst corruption.
Ramdev was arrested near the Ranjit Singh flyover, aboutthree kms away from Parliament, under Delhi Police Actprovisions for preventive custody when he ordered thousands ofhis followers to march towards Parliament House.
With Government ignoring his protest and refusing toengage with him, Ramdev had been threatening to announce hisfuture strategy since Saturday.
Police had marshalled a number of buses to take away theyoga guru and his supporters from near the Ramlila Maidan incentral Delhi, the venue of his fast protest since Thursdayafter BJP President Nitin Gadkari and JD(U) chief Sharad Yadavaddressed the gathering extending support to him this morning.
Addressing the gathering, Gadkari told Ramdev that he was"not alone" in his fight and that his party had disruptedParliament today on the issue of black money stashed away inforeign shores.
"Delhi Police is a puppet in the hands of the CentralGovernment. We will not do anything that disrupts peace. Wewanted to march towards Parliament in a peaceful manner tomake our voices heard. But they are detaining us," he told hissupporters, asking them not to court arrest.
"Our intention is not to disrupt peace. We will cooperatewith the police and go according to the law. We have respectto the law of the land," Ramdev said, before he was taken awayby police from atop his vehicle to a bus.
As his supporters blocked the entire stretch of the flyover, Ramdev popped out of the bus window and appealed tothem to make way for the vehicle to move.
Delhi Police officials said the yoga guru and hissupporters are being taken to Bawana on the outskirts of thecapital.
Holding the national tricolour, Ramdev hopped on to aopen vehicle from outside the Ramlila Maidan and began themarch at 1:15 PM. He was soon joined by thousands of hissupporters.
"Let us start the march to Parliament. Our march is notto gherao Parliament. But to agitate. None of our volunteersshould indulge in violence," he told his supporters beforebeginning his march.
Ten minutes into the march the cavalcade was stopped byDelhi Police near the flyover, saying that they do not havepermission to march.
Ramdev announced this morning that he and his supporterswould march towards Parliament and hold an agitation outsidethe complex.
"The government has become completely deaf. We have tomake them hear us. Now our protest will be outside Parliament.
We are not talking about gherao," Ramdev said while addressinghis supporters in the morning.
"Lok Sabha polls will be in 2014 and 99 per cent could bein 2013. This protest is to ensure that no dishonest personenters Parliament. Such people should be boycotted. We do nothave a political agenda," he said.
Earlier, Gadkari and Yadav attacked the Congress andsupported Ramdev who asked people to throw out the UPAgovernment accusing it of not acting against corruption andblack money.
Gadkari pledged his party's "full support" to the yogaguru's agitation against black money and launched a blisteringattack on the Congress-led UPA Government on issues likecorruption and black money.