The Lucknow district authorities in Uttar Pradesh today imposed a ban on Yoga teacher Ramdev from holding any public meetings or press conferences in the district. He will not be allowed to hold any meetings in Lucknow till May 16. However, the ban applies to Lucknow only and not rest of Uttar Pradesh.

The Dalit community is up in arms against Yoga teacher Ramdev for his controversial remark on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. Some Dalit organisations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have given a call to vote against the BJP as Ramdev is a supporter of the BJP.

The Congress party has condemned the attack on Rahul and demanded an unconditional apology from Ramdev. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has threatened to launch a nationwide strike if Ramdev is not arrested. She requested the Election Commission to take strict action against Ramdev .

The Election Commission has also issued fresh guidelines in the wake of Ramdev's comment. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said Ramdev should not have made the comment. After facing criticism across the political divide, Ramdev had on Saturday apologised for the statement. His apology came after two FIRs were filed against him in UP over the remark.