Skip to main content

How Ramdev got fixed into RSS scheme of things by raising 'false' sense of pride

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*
Ram Kishan Yadav or Ramdev is a product of grand Hindutva package that works through raising 'cultural' issues. He has indeed succeeded in reaching Indian households, even outside, through his yoga. As we wait for miracles in India, he seemed to be the 'miracle' man. All those who didn't want to put their bodies to trouble felt that his miracles were boon for them. The business started once he became a brand.
Powerful lobbies entered in and his Patanjali started producing ayurvedic products. He was one of the promoters of 'India against corruption' along with other babas like Sri Sri Ravishankar, who seems to have vanished and ceded his space to another spokesperson of Hindutva called 'Satguru', whose story of violating the land law in Coimbatore has been known to all.
Ramdev's empire at Hardwar has also lots of ifs and buts but the Narendra Modi government has been extraordinarily soft towards him. Patanjali was established as a non-profitable trust earning huge profits through income tax exemptions, a difficult task for other NGOs and organisations to get these days. Slowly, he started entering into our newsrooms by sponsoring programmes. Today, Ramdev's Patanjali is sponsor of large number of news programmes of all major channels.
Ramdev fixed into RSS scheme of things very well by raising false 'sense of pride' and using the same narratives as the Sangh Parivar has indulged in terming all those who differ with them as anti-national. Nobody questions Ram Kishan Yadav when he teaches yoga to people. It it good that we should learn it and keep fit but the problem starts when he ventured in every issue and make those comments which, if made by any other person, would have landed him/her in jail.
He launched Coronil product in the presence of two Union Minister, Harsh Vardhan and Nitin Gadkari, claiming that the product is approved by World Health Organisation (WHO). It was shameful thing to have made the claim in front of the Union Health Minister which was rejected by WHO immediately. But neither Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan nor Ram Kishan Yadav felt apologetic about it. In any other country, the government would have faced serious crisis for promoting such fake products, but then in India these fake ideas are the trump-card of Sangh parivar.
A few days back Ram Kishan Yadav made two insensitive remarks which should have forced the government to act against him. His first remark was against the people who were gasping for oxygen. He said that there is enough oxygen in the air and we need not worry about it and that it is surprising for people were dying of oxygen.
He exact word were: "Marte hain aise hi. Arey, bhagwaan ne muft mein oxygen de rakhi hai. (People say) oxygen ki kami pad rahi hai...bhagwaan ne saara bramhmand bhar rakha hai oxygen se... le toh le. Bahar cylinder dhoondh rahe hain, to apne bheetar do cylinder laga rakhe hain... cylinder kam pad gaye".
Ram Kishan Yadav is promoting 'positivity' as the government wants him to and that is why he has spread so much hatred and negativity. There was no reaction from BJP, RSS or the Government of India, though social media was enraged at this cruel and barbaric remark.
Later, Ram Kishan Yadav made a much bigger and outrageous remark against the medical fraternity. He mocked at modern science and said that so many thousand doctors had died due to coronavirus, so when the doctors are unable to 'protect' themselves how will they protect others? He appeared to claim he was a bigger doctor.
About 750 doctors have died due to Covid-19. Thousands of health workers worked day in and night to protect us. Many of them died. Ram Kishan Yadav mocked at them insensitively. It is the same man who after a few days of fast against 'corruption' in 2011, got unconscious and had to be admitted to the Swami Rama Hospital in Rishikesh. His chelas did not take him to the Patanjali hospital for treatment.
A couple of days back, Patanjali's head of dairy business Sunil Bansal passed away from Covid-19 complications. He was being treated in a modern hospital. It is another matter that Patanjali's ayurvedic hospital is of no use for their own leaders who speak against modern medicines.
Ram Kishan Yadav apologised, and yet the Health Minister of India behaved like a troll after former Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh wrote a polite letter to Modi on the current situation. He should be prosecuted for his insensitive remarks as well as putting lives of people in danger through his diversionary tactics and irresponsible behaviour.
Patanjali and Ram Kishan Yadav have turned into biggest propagandists of Hindutva, hence the government will not take any action against him. He will continue to lead, speak whatever he wishes and enjoy full patronage. The legitimacy granted to Ram Kishan Yadav is a threat to our rationality and critical inquiry. His utterings can create an atmosphere of mistrust against the fight against Covid-19 for which modern medical system is the only answer and need for protection.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) sent a notice to Ram Kishan Yadav as well as to the Government of India but it seems that powerful ministers were reigned he forced to 'withdraw' his statement. I is time to think whether any criminal can get away with suchan act.
While a case had been filed against him, will IMA allow such farcical 'withdrawal'? Let us hope the medical fraternity will speak up against such foolish and dangerous statement by religious thugs who have blessings of those in power. If such people are not stopped from making these kind of dangerous statements, they may put lives of people in serious trouble. In the fight against Covid-19, we will need to educate our people and develop scientific thinking and spirit of inquiry.
---
*Human rights defender

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan   M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.
Post a Comment
»

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”
Post a Comment
»

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai*  The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.
Post a Comment
»

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.
Post a Comment
»

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.
Post a Comment
»

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

​ By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  ​The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.
Post a Comment
»

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan*  An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...
2 comments
»

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative   Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).
Post a Comment
»

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative   A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.
Post a Comment
»