Ramdev to end fast before noon

Yoga guru Ramdev today said he will end his fast before noon on the sixth day of protest against blackmoney and declared that he will launch a big movement against Congress before the Lok Sabha elections.

After staying put at Ambedkar Stadium throughout the night refusing to vacate it, Ramdev told his supporters that he "is acceding to the appeal of his supporters and is calling off the fast but the movement will continue."

"I had earlier said that I will end my fast in Jail. This stadium is a makeshift jail. I had said will call off my fast only after my supporters get food and water. Late in the night, they were provided with food and water," Ramdev said.

"They have appealed to me to end the fast at 11:00 AM," Ramdev said, addressing his supporters this morning. He also said there will a big movement against Congress ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections. The Yoga guru said history will be created today and he will announce his next course of action before noon.

Ramdev went around the Ambedkar Stadium meeting his supporters who had gathered there since last evening. Ramdev held an early morning strategy session with his close aides to fine tune the future course of his protest.

He had last night rejected an appeal by police to vacate the stadium flagging concerns ahead of Independence Day as the facility was near Red Fort where the nationals celebrations will take place. The Yoga guru yesterday adopted a vigorous anti-Congress stand in his protest against blackmoney and was arrested during a march to Parliament but late in the night he refused to quit the stadium from where he and his few thousand supporters were released.

Giving a slogan 'Congress hatao, desh bachao' (Remove Congress, Save the Country), Ramdev ended his five-day protest with a call to his supporters to march to Parliament for a dharna demanding immediate steps to bring back blackmoney stashed abroad.

His protest fast was marked by dilly-dallying over the last three days as he deferred announcing his strategy in the face of central government's total indifference to his agitation against corruption.