"The Government is trying to crush the anti-corruption movement. We have therefore decided not to attend the joint committee meeting on Monday," said lawyer and Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee member Shanti Bhushan.
Anna Hazare, the original crusader against corruption and someone who was beginning to feel a bit uneasy with Ramdev's fellow campaigners, has now come out in his support.
"This is a mockery of democracy. It is worse than what happened in Jallianwala Bagh," said Anna Hazare.
"The govt gave him permission for a yoga shiver knowing that he was going on a fast. What happened was unethical," said Kiran Bedi.
Activists who had criticised Ramdev for his affinity with the RSS and the BJP and condemned the presence of Sadhvi Rithambara on his stage, too seemed to soften their stand.
"We are fighting for the same issues. I have problems with his demands for capital punishment and the fact that he allowed communal elements on his stage, but I agree with most of the other issues," said lawyer and Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee member Prashant Bhushan.
With the kind of a treatment meted out, the ideological barrier against Baba has been broken.
"In a democracy there is space for dissent. The Lokpal panel may not have been in agreement with Ramdev but he was well within his rights to launch his own movement," said NAC member Harsh Mandar.
Till Saturday, the civil society was divided on whether or not to support Baba Ramdev. But after Saturday night's police crackdown they've come out strongly in his support. At the end of the day, it's not Ramdev but the Government's image that has taken a beating.
