Decision of the Congress Government to cancel the land allotted to yoga guru Baba Ramdev has not gone down well with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bharat Swabhiman Mission.

leaders of the BJP said their Government entered into the land deal with Baba Ramdev to encourage employment and agriculture in the State and also to prevent youths from taking to drug abuse. 

“We had entered into a land deal with yoga guru Baba Ramdev on the condition that his trust would generate employment for the local people. According to our terms and conditions, they had to purchase more than 15 herbs from local farmers to encourage agricultural activities,” said former Chief Minister and leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal.

He said that during BJP’s stint, the Government wanted to boost the local economy of the villages as officials of the trust had promised that they would also take care of the stray cows. “The Government has the right to review the lease deeds but this power should be utilised properly in the welfare of the people but not for personal whims and fancy,” added Dhumal.

lakshmidatt, state chief of Bharat Swabhiman’s campaign and a close aide of Baba Ramdev said, “We are receiving calls from every corner of the State and people are very annoyed over this decision of the Government. The people of Sadhupul are enraged.”

Rubbishing charges that it was prime land, he said that they had been provided with a piece of land measuring nine bighas on which more than Rs9 crore have been spent.

“We were about to start services for the people on non-commercial basis. Moreover, it is the people of the State which ultimately were about to get benefit,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha member and national vice-president of the BJP, Shanta Kumar has written a letter to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stating that this trust is a charitable trust and activities being conducted by it for the welfare of the public.

“In view of the economic and social welfare of the people of this State, this deal should not be cancelled,” said Shanta Kumar in his letter.

While cancelling the land allocation, the Himachal Cabinet on Tuesday termed the decision of the previous BJP Government as an undue favour to Baba Ramdev. The yoga guru was scheduled to arrive here by the month-end and there were plans to hold a yoga camp in Solan, where construction has already taken place.

The controversial land initially belonged to erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala, who had donated it to a trust - Indira Holiday Home -for organising camps and other activities for children. It was transferred to Baba Ramdev’s trust for only Rs17 lakh, besides a Rs1 token fee per annum.