"There are two ways of changing a system, " Baba Ramdev said in a recent interview.

BBC: Baba Ramdev fast: Just cause or blackmail?

Baba Ramdev's anti-graft protest, for example, was being openly backed by right-wing Hindu nationalist organisations.

BBC: Can civil society win India's corruption battle?

Mr Singh was dutifully wheeled out to defend the attack on Mr Ramdev's camp, but few believe that he takes day-to-day political decisions.

ECONOMIST: A populist yogi ties the government up in knots

Nor does it say much for India's democratic process, since Mr Ramdev had permission to stage an event (though not, the authorities say, for a mass protest).

ECONOMIST: A populist yogi ties the government up in knots

By deifying Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev, India appears to have forgotten outstanding activists like Medha Patkar and Sunderlal Bahuguna, who have a long and stirring track record.

BBC: Can civil society win India's corruption battle?

There is no denying that Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev have the right to galvanise their supporters to take on the scourge of corruption, despite their spotty ideologies and kooky prescriptions for social reforms.

BBC: Can civil society win India's corruption battle?