PTI, Himachal Pradesh :
Yoga guru Ramdev, who has been banned from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, yesterday said it is Sonia Gandhi who has insulted Dalits, not him.
Baba Ramdev, as he is known, has been censured by the Election Commission for “malicious” recent remarks on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The powerful commission said the comments amounted to an “attack on personal life” and were offensive and designed to create “disharmony among different classes or groups of people.” (After Ramdev’s ‘honeymoon’ remark, Election Commission issues fresh guidelines)
Ramdev, 43, had said at a rally in Lucknow last week that Gandhi visits the homes of Dalits for “a honeymoon” and to “picnic.” Those remarks have been derided by a series of parties as anti-Dalit; the BJP, for whom Ramdev has been campaigning, has said the comments were misunderstood.
Gandhi, who represents Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in Parliament, has been attacked by the BJP for his stopovers at the homes of Dalit families in the state.
