Baba Ramdev: Yoga, politics & power

As part of his political ambitions, he is seeking to use his devoted yoga students, in lakhs, to launch his political career. He was recently in Bangalore to test the waters in the South and build his yoga institute - Patanjali Yogpeeth - and his "social, spiritual organisation" - Bharath Swabhiman Trust - in the South. He also held a three-day long Yog Science Camp in Bangalore and other towns of Karnataka. It is very clear that these entities and his activities are just a front for Ramdev's barely disguised political ambitions. He is a fairly well known entity in North India, now the Baba has set his sights on the South.

Baba Ramdev: Yoga, politics & power

Decrying the ill-effects of modern lifestyles, Ramdev says, "Everyone's home in India today is an hospital, everyone a medical store", he says, adding, "a regular but simple Yoga regime that I prescribe will make people healthy not just in body but the mind too". It is indisputable that Ramdev has been a catalyst in taking yoga to the Indian masses - especially the middle class. The number of families who spend their morning in front of their televisions with Ramdev's tuitions on yoga either beamed on one of the channels or through CDs/DVDs are legion. He has undoubtedly contributed to raising the awareness and importance of a healthy lifestyle in India and propagating the efficacy of the ancient Indian system of yoga.

Baba Ramdev: Yoga, politics & power

However, when it comes to the political Ramdev's solutions (through the Bharat Swabhiman movement)seems border on the simplistic and closely reflect the prescriptions of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an affiliate of the Sangh Parivar. In an era where India's innate strength as a knowledge society and the knowledge of English is seen to give India a 'comparative advantage' and catapulted it into a global player, Ramdev 's seems to go against the grain.

Baba Ramdev: Yoga, politics & power

Proclaiming that "everything that is going on is British", Ramdev wants to "change the British style of administration and the laws enacted by the British". In the field of economics calls for a "complete boycott (of) every foreign good (sic), manufactured with zero (sic) technology" - a throwback to the days of the freedom struggle. In an increasingly flat world, where goods and services will be produced and provided in sites which provide maximum efficiency and least cost, Ramdev's advocacy seems to go completely against the grain. One of the solutions for beefing up the Indian economy and alleviating the lot of the poor in India is through an end to corruption, the Baba says. "We should enact a law which will prescribe the death penalty for corruption", he thunders.

Baba Ramdev: Yoga, politics & power

However, His route to end corruption is as novel as some of his other ideas. "Abolish all currency in India more than Rs 100," he says. This will at one stroke make redundant the black money (which are usually in high denominations) accumulated by the unscrupulous. Plus, he says with a laugh, "it will stop big corruption as well, as you will need to take cash in a truck rather than a bag, if someone wants to pay a bribe". He also advocates that the cash illegally stashed by Indians abroad to the tune of "100 lakh crore rupees should be brought back to the country, which should be used to alleviate poverty and to shore up social sector projects".

Baba Ramdev: Yoga, politics & power

While Ramdev is clear that he will step into the whirlpool of politics ("politics should not remain the preserve of the corrupt" ), he has still not announced the name or format of his political formation other than promising that his "people" will contest "all the seats" in the next general elections. However, he completely rules out a role for himself, other than being a moral force - "no elections, no positions", he says. Have we heard that before.

Source: India Syndicate
Photos: E Jayakrishnan/India Syndicate