India’s 46-year old Yoga guru Baba Ram Dev today began his indefinite fast at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi demanding stringent steps to curb corruption in the political and administrative set up of the country and repatriation of black money stashed away in foreign banks.

Before commencing his fast, Baba Ram Dev conducted a two hour Yoga exercise to his thousands of supporters who gathered at the Ramlila. He told them that the indefinite fast was taken up for the sake of the country and the people.

The more than 5000-strong anti-corruption mob also conducted devotional bhajans at the instance of the Yoga guru even as the Sangh Parivar’s firebrand leader Sadhvi Ritambhara and religious leaders from Sikh, Jain and Muslim communities also joined Baba in the fast.

Government agreed to consider declaring illegal wealth as national assets, amend laws to confiscate such ill-gotten wealth and enhance the punishment for the corrupt in a period of six months. But the Yoga guru, who was demanding more from the government, did not fall prey to the bait and commenced his fast.

Ram Dev said there was a conspiracy to ensure that he would not go ahead with his proposed fast but it ended in failure and promised to reveal the details later on.

Several thousand followers of Ram Dev also began the indefinite fast in several cities across the country to show solidarity with their guru.