New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev came to the defence of his close aide Ved Pratap Vaidik who is under attack over his alleged meeting with 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
Ramdev said that Vaidik met the dreaded terrorist in his capacity as a journalist.Vaidik said, “I have been meeting all the PMs and President of South Asia from last 45 years. I have never meet anybody as envoy, why should i meet anybody as Modi’s envoy. Congress should raise this issue in Parliament and Modi should clarify this.”
Speaking to CNN-IBN, Vaidik said, “I was not envoy of anybody . I am thinker. Can Marx become an agent of Lenin or Mao. We are thinkers ..we serve the country without position. I have had excellent relationship with all the PMs from Indira Gandhi onwards but I didn’t become anybody’s envoy.”
He added that he raised the issue of PM Narendra Modi with Saeed in the meeting that went for almost an hour. He saod, “Told him Modi should not be feared, he is a good man and he has through out his campaign or later said anything against Islam. He said he would welcome Modi. My meeting would give no one any recognition. I am small man. I have met him as a journalist. I have always met people. I have met so many terrorist..that is the job of a journalist.”
Vaidik was dragged into a controversy when his photographs with Hafiz Saeed started circulating on social networking websites.
MoS, Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju ruled out any action against Vaidik as he said, “Hafiz Saeed is most wanted and this is an important issue and we will look into it. But a journalist cannot be regulated.”
Jaitley backed Rijiju’s comments saying, “Hafiz Saeed is a terrorist as per GOI, any journalist in individual capacity meeting in personal capacity government has nothing to do with it directly or indirectly.”
The issue was also raised in the Parliament today.(Ibnlive.in.com)
