No further talks with Baba Ramdev: Government

Hours after breaking up Baba Ramdev's hunger strike against corruption, the government on Sunday ruled out further talks with the yoga guru on his demands to bring back black money from abroad.

"There is nothing left to discuss (with Ramdev). On what issue will will talk? Whatever talks had to happen have already happened," Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, involved in negotiations with the yoga guru, told media-persons.

Another Union minister, Kapil Sibal, made it clear that the police action had the backing of the government and the Congress party. To a question whether the action had the endorsement of the party, he said "absolutely, 100 per cent. No such action takes place without 100 per cent unity in the government and the party."

On the issue of black money, Sahay said bringing back black money stashed abroad is the government's agenda and it was committed to the cause not because the issue has been raised by an individual.

Terming the police action to remove Ramdev as "unfortunate", Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee, who had led the negotiations on behalf of the government, said the issues raised by Baba Ramdev are important and have to be addressed.

"When negotiations were conducted, he said he will confine (his protest) to three days. If he would have stuck to this, then these turn of events would not have happened," Mukherjee said.

Rejecting the Bharatiya Janata Party's allegation that the police action against Ramdev was reminiscent of Emergency, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the government had to act as the yoga guru did not see reason.

"He didn't see reason and the government had to act," Bansal told reporters in Chandigarh. "It was not a crackdown. We had to do it to maintain law and order," he added, justifying the police action to end the yoga guru's agitation.