I know well in advance that the followers of Baba Ramdev would not like this piece of writing. I also know that there would be a strong criticism and disapproval by the Baba`s loyalists. People will blame me as if I am writing like a party man. I am a political man. Rather I am a common man who is struggling to save the remaining years of life and future of the children. My heart bleeds for my country; for the unemployed youths; for the defenseless innocent girls and women who are raped every day; for the wealth of the nation that is being usurped by the nexus of abominable politicians and fake Babas`.
Through this article, I want the people of India should ponder and seek an answer from Baba Ramdev to the questions such as: Where is the black money? Where is 15 Lakh? Are the criminal politicians behind bars? Is Ganga cleaned? Are all the villages of India electrified? The election funding? How many socially and economically marginalized people are uplifted out of poverty by the Modi government? All these promises were made by Modi government before 2014 elections and Baba Ramdev is a party to these fake promises.
Baba Ramdev, a maverick Yoga Guru, a great supporter and admirer of an elected despot Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India got unparalleled social popularity among the illiterate masses and political leaders that his a small pharmacy, Patanjali, established in 2007 grown over 10 times to $ 5,000 in 2015-16. Patanjali, no doubt, shook the walls of corporate Moguls such as Emami, Dabur, and Marico. Baba Ramdev with the help of the corrupt and despicable politicians and vile bureaucrats of India succeeded in striking a nail in the business of Nestle India causing a whopping financial loss to the company to the tune of Rs.450 crore as it destroyed more than 30,000 tonnes of Maggi. As economics tells us that a business cannot flourish for a long time if it is motivated merely by the dirty politics. In his statement on dirty politics of Baba Ramdev, Kejriwal Amit Dhanuka, CEO of Kejriwal Bee Care India said, “It is a gimmick”.
Baba Ramdev, no doubt, knows it very well how illiterate masses can be befooled. First, he practiced his market strategy by crying foul against the foreign companies from the rooftop that these foreign companies are looting the wealth of the country. Patanjali is Swadeshi (of manufactured goods) made in India from materials that have also been produced in India. The irony is that illiterate masses of India misunderstood Swadeshi word and somehow by mistake appropriated this word to ‘Swadeshi Movement’ (Independence Movement), an independence movement once launched by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to boycott the British goods. The reality is that Patanjali imports its equipment’s from the West. It is also getting food manufacturing and packaging technology from Italy and Switzerland. Data shows that Patanjali imports cosmetics body cleaner from the UK, Cow Ghee from New Caledonia, Lotion and Handwash from the USA. Is this “Make in India” by Baba Ramdev?
The NDA government under the malignant, narcissistic Prime Minister Modi is close to finishing 5 years term in office but Baba Ramdev is silent on all the questions raised. Baba Ramdev is silent over when Muslims and Dalits are killed in the daylight by the shameless, envious, haughty and ignorant goons of RSS/Ram Sena/ VHP and other Hindu militant outfits. Statistics revealed that in the last past 100 days, 39 people had died across India while cleaning sewers. Shameful Beef lynching by the goons of Ram Sena and other Hindu outfits brought a bad name to the country. Such shameful people are eroding democratic norms, principles & institutions. Their shameful acts every day brings a bad name to the country on the international platform. People of GOA, Nagaland, the BJP ruled states, eat beef openly. Baba Ramdev is silent over the Beef eating issue.
Baba Ramdev is silent over when the rupee depreciated past 70 against the dollar. Baba Ramdev is silent when hundreds of thousands of Indian soldiers are killed across the border. Baba Ramdev is silent when Mehbooba Mufti`s PDP was left by the BJP in the valley of Kashmir leaving behind thousands of Hindus unprotected and unsafe. Baba Ramdev is silent when Vijay Mallya, a wilful defaulter, proclaimed offender and a fugitive from justice run away from the country with more than Rs 9000 crore. The Gangotri of black money is as flowing as it was in the era of UPA II. Today, over 17% of all bank loans are estimated to be non-performing. Gross NPAs stood at $6.06 trillion as of December 2016. Income Tax department discovered undisclosed income of Rs 17, 526 Crores between November 2016 & end –May 2017. On this former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on August 11, 2014, stated: “The crooked politicians need the businessman to provide the funds… The crooked businessman needs the crooked politicians to get public resources and contracts cheaply”.
The socio-economic and caste census revealed that 56% rural household own no land, and depend primarily on manual Labour to survive. A survey in 2014 across 42, 000 households across India by the National Council of Applied Economic Research and the University of Maryland found that one in four Indians admitted to practicing some form of untouchability. Baba Ramdev never spoke a word against the practices of untouchability.
Hindu Jagran Manch warned schools, Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh (UP) against celebrating Christmas. Priest and seminarians are regularly thrashed by Bajrang Dal activists in Madhya Pradesh. In his home state UP, dues of sugarcane farmers soared to Rs 12,000 Crores. The 24 cooperatives mills too owe Rs 1107.09 crore. Cooking gas was increased from Rs 93 to Rs 742 per cylinder. Food prices escalated beyond the reach of a common man.
Girls and women from the weaker sections of the society are raped in 19 states ruled by the BJP/RSS. According to a perception poll conducted by Thomson Reuters Foundation, ‘India is now the most dangerous country for women to live in’. Baba Ramdev is silent. Mosques and Madrassas across India are subjected to various legal and administrative hassles designed by Hindu militants and RSS protagonists. Alfons Lopez Toma quoted Pankaj Mishra who emphasized, Hinduvta ideology is anti-modern, authoritarian, far right and sometimes far-left,anti-globalist and anti-Enlightenment trend haunting the world two centuries.
Every flagship scheme of Modi government such as Startup India, Standup India, Mudra, Skill India failed but Baba Ramdev is completely silent. Demonetization and GST have made the SMEs suffocated, Baba Ramdev is silent. According to ET, ‘the leather industry in Bengal has collapsed, closure of 12 lakh power looms in Maharashtra had led to workers returning to their homes in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana’. Thanks to the social activists and genuine lover of India who protested against ‘Saffronisation of academic bodies, research councils, and textbooks. The goons of RSS and other Hindu outfits left no stone unturned to impose Hindutva ideology on every citizen of India.
Modi could not diagnose all the socio-economic ills of the country since he is more interested in foreign countries than his own country. Modi could not diagnose all the socio-economic ills since he and his party leaders are busy in killing the Muslims and Dalits. Not a single promise made by Modi and Baba Ramdev is fulfilled in four years. Terrorism continues, unaccounted wealth flourished, India is the most corrupt country (Transparency International Report), Chinese and Indian soldiers stared eyeball to eyeball in Doklam. Modi displays no foreign policy except pleasing the world leaders and hugging them to show that he has elevated the image of India. Modi and RSS leaders are busy in foisting sedition charges on the dissenters.
Dr. Ambedkar told the Constituent Assembly: “Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics Bhakti or hero-worship, is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship”. Similarly, an eminent historian Ramachandra Guha argued that the cult of Narendra Modi must be challenged (and checked) before it goes much further.
Readers must be surprised why I have used the word ‘Silent’ repeatedly in this article. Some might argue Baba Ramdev is not a Prime Minister; Baba Ramdev is not a Chief Minister; Baba Ramdev is not an administrator. But Baba Ramdev is a party to the false promises made during 2014 elections; Baba Ramdev is a party to hoodwink the innocent people of India.
Baba Ramdev `s silence on all the issues raised in this article reflects that Baba Ramdev was/ is not a friend of the poor, marginalized. The people of this country should not get trapped by Baba Ramdev and his associates who are bracing up for 2019 elections with renewed fake promises to get Modi re-elected. Baba Ramdev will again come to your doorstep for asking the votes for Modi. Be careful!
Dear countrymen and countrywomen, if you do not exercise your wisdom at this time, you will repent for another 5 years; your children will roam jobless; your daughters and sons will roam without marriage; your elderly parents will suffer without medical care. I leave all this to ‘your thoughtful wisdom’.
Rahul Kumar, a PhD scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University and is a regular contributor of articles to the mainstream media. He can be reached at:rkbsooru@gmail.com
