"My hunger strike will go ahead. There is no question of calling off the protest plan till my demands are met and till talks reach a satisfactory conclusion," Baba Ramdev said.
The government had said it will set up a Directorate of Criminal Investigation dealing with direct tax law under the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
This is the third such measure put forward by the government, which on Friday announced a high level panel to tackle generation of black money and on Sunday commissioned a study by top economists to estimate the extent of illegal wealth stashed abroad.
The sense of urgency in framing a political response to corruption was reflected in the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting on Monday evening to take stock amid heightening tensions with the Anna Hazare group, Baba Ramdev's threatened fast and continuing Opposition attacks.
The series of actions also point to the government's uneasiness on black money that has lingered as an issue since the 2009 election with Supreme Court taking an interest and Baba Ramdev jumping into the fray as well.
Sources said the government felt it would be better to adopt a proactive approach to Baba Ramdev rather than lay itself open to an ambush as was the case with the Anna Hazare fast at Jantar Mantar. Ramdev was also briefed by CBDT chairperson Sudhir Chandra about two weeks ago about what the government has done and the hurdles to recovering black money.
The new Directorate of Criminal Investigation will be headed by a director general or a chief commissioner rank officer. It will function out of eight cities considered to be high wealth generators -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Lucknow -- and will deal with criminal matters punishable under any direct tax law.
The new department will collect information about persons and transactions suspected to be involved in criminal activities having cross-border, inter-state or international ramifications posing a threat to national security. The new directorate will investigate the source and use of funds involved in such criminal activities and can file prosecution under any direct tax law relating to a criminal activity.
It has also been empowered to protect and rehabilitate witnesses who support the state in prosecution of such offences so as to insulate them from any harm. It is also empowered to enter into agreements for sharing of information and other cooperation with any central or state agency in India or agencies of foreign countries.
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