Baba Ramdev Not Yet Mature To Lead: Anna Hazare

After declaring that he would not support Baba Ramdev's call to raise an armed force, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare said on Friday the yoga guru is "not mature enough to lead a social movement as he does not have expertise other than yoga".

In a newspaper interview, the Gandhian said Ramdev has the habit of taking decisions unilaterally.

"To get involved in social work, one needs to be alert about many things and Baba is yet to learn it. Baba has the habit of taking decisions unilaterally," Hazare said.

Baba Ramdev had said that he is planning to raise a 11,000-strong force to deal with police and anti-social elements attempting to disrupt his anti-corruption campaign.

However, the yoga guru's proposal to raise an armed force came under severe criticism. He later clarified saying he was not trying to train terrorists or Maoists but only wanting to set up a "nationalist" force.

Meanwhile, Anna Hazare urged the Centre to open a dialogue with Ramdev on "humanitarian grounds" and said the yoga guru had a right to protest against the government as it was a legitimate right of an individual in a democracy.

Hazare, who on Wednesday staged a day-long fast at Delhi's Rajghat, declaring his agitation as the "second freedom struggle" and threatening another hunger strike from August 16 if the Lokpal Bill was not passed by then, explained why he is distancing himself from Ramdev.

"In our agitation, we discuss the developments with other activists, share ideas, welcome suggestions before taking a decision. This is the way to run any campaign or agitation. Baba's thought process is not like us, hence there are some shortcomings in his way of protest which has benefited the government," Hazare said.