BeyondHeadlines Special Correspondent
Haridwar (Uttarakhand): Baba Ramdev’s key aide Acharya Balkrishna, who had gone missing since the Sunday night police action at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground Maidan, suddenly appeared on the scene in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, today. He claimed that he was an Indian and not a citizen of Nepal as claimed by Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh.
Balkrishna said that all allegations made against him were false and that he had not appeared in public as he was injured during the crackdown and was not well. He alleged that he was badly beaten up by the Delhi Police during the crackdown.
“I was born in India, and my parents are from Nepal. Many Nepalese are born in India. The Indian constitution gives us rights to be citizen of this country. I am Indian according to the Constitution of India. I was born in Haridwar, I was educated in India. I have been working in India,” said Balkrishna while addressing a press conference in Haridwar.
Singh had alleged that Balkrishna was a citizen of Nepal and held a Nepalese passport. Singh had also claimed that Balkrishna committed a crime in Nepal and fled to India.
However, when asked about allegations of having fled Nepal after committing a crime, he refused to reply.
Condemning the police crackdown on Ramlila Maidan as unfortunate, Balkrishna said, “I was not trying to flee but was hiding to avoid the brutality of police. I was beaten by police at the Ramlila ground.”
Stating that he stayed with the followers of Ramdev, he said, “I have tried hard to arrange for the medicines for the injured. We are trying to reach out to all the other followers who were injured but managed to move out of Delhi. The government is not concerned about the injured in the crackdown.”
In a press conference, Balkrishna said he would continue his fast like Baba Ramdev to continue the fight against corruption.
Clearing allegations of him being a citizen of Nepal, he said, “I am Indian of Nepali origin born in Haridwar.”
Earlier in the day, his parents sent an SOS to the government of Nepal today, asking for an initiative to find the whereabouts of their disappeared son.
The 39-year-old’s father, Jay Ballav Subedi, and mother Sumitra, who live in Bharuwa, a remote village in western Nepal’s Syangja district, also refuted allegations by Digvijay Singh, general secretary of Congress party, that their son had been involved in criminal activities in Nepal and had obtained an Indian passport illegally.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) ordered an inquiry into the complaints against Balkrihna. PMO officials said that an anonymous complaint was received three days ago against Balkrishna.
Ramdev’s key men reportedly run and maintain a maze of companies.
Over 200 businesses from broadcasting companies, including Aastha TV to food parks, are run by his trusted lieutenants Acharya Balkrishna and Mukta Anand. There are no specific charges against them that the finance ministry is looking at, but a detailed income tax survey is currently being done.
