While the Centre has made its stand clear, party insiders ThePrint spoke to said that though Ramdev had embarrassed the government, that will not hamper his relation with the party since he, along with other saints and gurus, has contributed to the party’s growth by promoting Hindu consciousness through yoga and Ayurveda.
Over the past 10 years, the yoga guru has enjoyed considerable advantages from BJP-led state governments.
During the launch of Coronil in 2021, two Union cabinet ministers — then health minister Harsh Vardhan and transport minister Nitin Gadkari — were present alongside Ramdev on the dais. Ramdev, too, has consistently praised the Prime Minister and the Union government, reinforcing his support for the BJP.
Speaking about the central government’s stand in the Patanjali case, a senior BJP functionary told ThePrint that the government’s response to the Supreme Court clearly indicates that disparaging any medical system is undesirable.
“The Ayush ministry had already advised Patanjali against advertising their medicines, but the company did not adhere to the protocol. The government supports the coexistence of all medicinal practices, which is why the Ayush ministry was established. However, denigrating modern medicine is not in good taste,” the functionary added.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal told ThePrint that while the Centre has already submitted its response to the SC, the state government will file its response in this case.
Many within the BJP believe that the yoga guru has overstepped by challenging the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the court. They said, despite the Ayush ministry’s advisories, the advertisements continued, and there were repeated attacks on allopathic doctors to promote the company’s products, at the cost of Ramdev’s own image and causing embarrassment to the government.
But not all are on the same page. According to an Uttarakhand minister, the rise of Hindutva has solidified the BJP’s position since 2014, and Ramdev, along with other saints and gurus, has contributed to the party’s growth by promoting Hindu consciousness through yoga and ayurveda.
“When Baba Ram Rahim was allowed parole, why would the government distance itself from the yoga guru who has a huge following across India and abroad?” the minister told ThePrint.
However, the minister also acknowledged that the government would not risk its reputation. “Like Adani defended his case after being embroiled in a controversy, Patanjali will have to protect itself,” he added.
Madan Kaushik, a former BJP state president and MLA from Haridwar — where Ramdev has established a yoga school and educational institutions — said that their ideologies align.
“In Sanatana Dharma, there is only one way to enter and there is no way to exit. He (Ramdev) awakened the society through his yoga and ayurveda,” Kaushik told ThePrint, adding that the government will carry out its duties.
Also Read: Don’t let just Ramdev’s Patanjali take the fall. Allopathy isn’t immune to ‘misleading’ ads
Court raps Uttarakhand govt
Despite the IMA petition for action against Patanjali under the provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, the Uttarakhand government only issued a notice to Ramdev under Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules 1945, which prohibits the advertisement of ayurvedic drugs without it being cleared by the competent licensing authority.
The court questioned the Uttarakhand government’s failure to protect the rights of numerous people who relied on the company’s medicine, believing it would cure their ailments.
The court added that the Uttarakhand government failed to take action against the yoga guru until it intervened, accusing the state government of being in a “deep slumber” and not acting according to the law for over two years.
“We will rip you (the state government) apart, come down on your officers like a tonne of bricks. If this is not dereliction of duty then what is? You simply pushed files and played back and forth with the Union of India that kept writing to you that the jurisdiction to take action was yours,” the court said.
Patanjali disregarded the state government’s advisory and the court’s directive to cease advertising in November 2023. Ramdev even held a press conference to criticise the “allopathic mafia”, while both the state and central governments overlooked the issue for two years.
However, since the SC dismissed Ramdev’s unconditional apology and criticised his arguments, Ramdev has remained silent.
How BJP has aided Ramdev
Over the past decade, Ramdev has received significant benefits from BJP-led governments across various states.
In 2017, the Maharashtra government under former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, allocated 230 acres of land at a discounted price, which the Congress claimed was worth Rs 268 crore but sold for only Rs 58 crore.
In 2019, the Maharashtra government provided an additional 400 acres of land at a subsidised rate to the yoga guru. Ramdev’s company also acquired 1,200 acres of land in Assam for a cow shelter.
The Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh facilitated the establishment of a Patanjali food park along the Yamuna Expressway by offering subsidies, besides giving subsidies to Patanjali Ayurveda.
Following the Modi government’s rise to power in 2014, it declared the celebration of International Yoga Day in 2015.
This initiative not only propagated BJP’s cultural nationalism through yoga but also led to the establishment of the dedicated Ministry of Ayush, promoting Ayurveda, yoga, and natural treatment systems, which in turn supported the promotion of cultural nationalism and cultural awakening as well as business expansion of Ramdev.
Another BJP functionary noted that Ramdev’s transformation from a yoga guru to a businessman has been significant over the last 10 years.
“Despite his unease in the present case, he (Ramdev) has no option but to back the government as the opposition Congress shows no signs of resurgence. He can’t risk his entire empire, whose growth is synonymous with the growth of the BJP after 2014,” the functionary told ThePrint.
Also Read: Before Supreme Court order, Kerala doctor Babu KV led the fight against Patanjali’s misleading ads
Ramdev’s loyalty to BJP
Ramdev, too, has reciprocated by periodically praising the Prime Minister and the Union government.
While he has distanced himself from making political comments, Ramdev, At the Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony, had commended Modi, stating that in the current kalyug, it is rare to find a head of state who fasts, practices yoga, sleeps on the ground, and upholds both Raj dharma and Ram dharma. He emphasised that “such a person should be praised.”
Last week in Haridwar, he stated that he dedicates 99 percent of his time to his yoga ashram, preserving Ayurveda, and the Indian education system. During this interaction, he lauded PM Modi for his decision-making skills and commitment to leading the country and protecting Hindu dharma. However, regarding the BJP securing 400 seats, he deferred the question and said, “that’s the job of a political observer”.
Following the BJP’s victory in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh in December, Ramdev extolled Modi as one of the world’s most popular leaders, attributing this to the trust he has garnered among the populace. “Today, there is a trust deficit in the country, but Modi has gained unparalleled trust of the people,” he asserted.
In the past year, Ramdev has only once publicly disagreed with the BJP, when he supported the wrestlers’ protest and denounced the allegations against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as disgraceful, suggesting that he should be imprisoned.
Speaking in Rajasthan on 26 May 2023, Ramdev said that the “allegation of harassment against the wrestling federation chief by the country’s wrestlers is shameful. Such a person should be arrested and put behind bars.” However, it was rumoured that his animosity towards Singh and pressure from Haryana wrestlers influenced his stance.
During the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Ramdev was among the most vocal supporters of Modi. He shared the stage with the PM at a yoga event, urging the crowd to vote for him. And in 2019, he participated in the nomination of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and encouraged voters to support Modi.
As another election season approaches, Ramdev, now a billionaire, faces the Supreme Court’s wrath over misleading advertisements and has thus far refrained from actively campaigning for the BJP.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: Ayurveda to cure arthritis, diabetes? Doctors blame lax laws, ‘regulatory oversight’ for ‘misleading ads’