POLITICS & BEYOND
R am Kisan Yadav began as a small-time yoga guru in Haridwar, then in UP. He grew bigger, then turned into an anti-corruption crusader joining the India Against Corruption (IAC) campaign against the ruling Congress regime. Today he is seen to be a top business mag- nate in the country and an impres- sive brand manager of Ayurvedic products that his company Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd (established in 2006) produces or promotes. The rise of Baba Ramdev in the past 10 years has been meteoric, making old busi- ness groups in India envious. His company’s turnover runs into mil- lions of rupees. Many people treat him like a God. Perhaps, they may not now!
His contribution to the age-old art of yoga is undisputed. He not only popularised the ancient Indian physical exercise regimen in India, but also took it to a global level, with Narendra Modi, himself a yoga practitioner, taking it to the United Nations. Another low profile yoga guru from Bengaluru, close to the PM, also had a role in it. If there is an International Yoga Day that is celebrated across the world, some credit is due to the saffron-clad,
bearded Baba. That stupendous success story has seen an intermission now.
An alert Kerala ophthalmologist fought like a crusader and exposed Baba’s wrong-doings and the way he has carried on with his brisk busi-
But then there are other issues involved as well. Most influential businessmen, having violated different laws with impunity, have not been taken to task by the government.
ness all these years, forcing the Supreme Court to take serious note. There are many beliefs and several diagnostic and curative treatment practices in the medical field. Most of them are science-based systems such as allopathy, homoeopathy, naturopathy, Unani or Siddha and so on. Baba Ramdev’s group was issuing advertisements to promote their products while simulta- neously criticising other systems of medicines. That upset the apex court.
The Kerala doctor KV Babu should be saluted for his persistence in complaining to the Union Ayush ministry under Drugs and Magic Remedies Act 1954 and Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules 1945 for issuing misleading ads. According to him, under both laws, there are over 100 diseases or disorders for
which advertisements are prohib- ited. His anger erupted when his friend’s mother went almost blind after switching over to Ayurvedic medicine. From that point, his fight began seriously but government departments did not take cogni- sance of his complaints, Baba being a man of extraordinary clout in the BJP governments. Dr Babu alleges that the Patanjali group flouted both laws openly and for a long time. The Supreme Court has been
hearing this case for about a year but judges went wild (‘We will rip you apart’) when they realised that despite top court’s orders. Patanjali’s bosses, Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, kept advertising, claiming remedy for many human ailments from the medicines made by their group. Patanjali not only released adver-
Nashik Main Page No. 6 Apr 26, 2024
Powered by: erelego.com
tisements, it also paraded a patient to show how he was cured of his ills, irking the SC to no end. Like Ayush ministry, the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority (SLA) is also to be blamed for turning a Nelson’s eye to the continued violations by the influential Baba, ignoring a qual- ified doctor’s complaints.
But then there are other issues involved as well. Most influential businessmen, having violated differ- ent laws with impunity, have not been taken to task by the Modi gov- ernment. That has led to the firming up of a common belief that ‘crony capitalism’ has not been confined to a few mega business groups but has penetrated the government in a big way. From a few Babas to business- men to architects to chosen cine stars (men and women), many have flourished fast in the past decade. So why punish the Patanjali
group alone? Why make the Baba apologise, something which he is not used to doing? http://guruThere are ump- teen numbers of advertisements on radio, newspapers and on the walls of cities and villages claiming to cure any ailment by quacks and top hospital chains. Some promise Moon through beauty products pro- moted by the best of the heroes and heroines of the Bollywood. Why not punish them too?
I feel the issue pertains to strict implementation of Indian laws — some of them were, incidentally, made during Pandit Nehru’s times, including these two (1954 and 1945), with a vision for a long term benefit of the people.
The author is roving editor, Lokmat Media Group. Views expressed are personal.
