Situation has escalated for Baba Ramdev since Wednesday, when the IMA (Indian Medical Association) slapped the Yoga Guru with a Rs 1000 Crore defamation notice over his recent statements on allopathy medicines.
The IMA had appealed to the PM to take appropriate action under sedition and other charges against Ramdev for “spearheading a misinformation campaign on COVID-19 vaccination”.
Several social media users criticized Ramdev after he called allopathy a “stupid science” and also alleged that lakhs had died after taking allopathic medicines for Covid-19. Several Twitter users asked the authorities to arrest Ramdev. And in the latest video, Ramdev can be seen challenging the authorities in response to the #ArrestRamdev trends on Twitter.
“Khair, arrest toh unka baap bhi nahi kar sakta Swami Ramdev ko (Even their father can’t arrest Swami Ramdev).” They keep creating such trends, like ‘Thug Ramdev’, Mahathug Ramdev’, ‘Giraftar Ramdev’. Let them do it. Our people have become accustomed to such trends and our trends always reach the top.”
Ramdev had claimed that 10,000 doctors died despite both the doses of the vaccine, and the doctors are furious over his false claims.
The doctors believe that it is a deliberate effort to stall the efforts of vaccination to reach the masses, and it needs to be curtailed immediately.
The IMA, Uttarakhand division, has sent Rs. 1000 crore defamation notice to Ramdev, saying that if the Yoga guru does not not post a video countering the statements given by him and tender a written apology within the next 15 days, then a sum of Rs 1,000 crores will be demanded from him.
Ajay Khanna, the IMA Uttarakhand unit president, has said that Ramdev does not have sound knowledge and is engaging in rhetorics.
Later, when Ramdev received a letter from the Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, he had to withdraw his remarks. The union health minister, in the letter, termed Ramdev’s remarks “inappropriate”.
Writing to the Health Minister that he does not oppose medical science and allopathy, Ramdev wrote, “We believe that allopathy has shown immense progress in surgery and the lifesaving system and served humanity. My statement has been quoted as part of a WhatsApp message that I was reading during a meeting of volunteers. I am sorry if it has hurt anyone’s sentiment.”