A file of Ramdev releasing Patanjali medicine for Covid-19 in the presence of then union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Credit: PTI File Photo
"Millions of people in India have perished due to the use of allopathic medicine," said Baba Ramdev, Indian Yoga guru cum co-founder of Ayurvedic brand Patanjali, according to a report in The Times of India.
At an event called Patanjali Yogpeeth organised at Haridwar, he spoke about the need for medical autonomy and a 'swadeshi' revolution. The report further added that Ramdev accused foreign pharmaceutical companies of creating a dependency on synthetic drugs and advertised Patanjali's commitment to natural healthcare practices.
"The dream of medical freedom is still unfulfilled, as millions continue to suffer and die from allopathic drugs. Just as millions of Indians were killed during the British rule and in various conflicts around the world, millions are now perishing from synthetic pharmaceuticals," Ramdev said.
Patanjali and Ramdev have recently been in the news for spreading mis-information through its promotional campaigns. The Delhi High Court in July had directed Ramdev to remove his statements which claimed Patanjali's Coronil could cure Covid.
The court also directed him to remove statements which claimed allopathy killed lakhs of people during the Covid pandemic. The directive came due to a plea in the court, which was part of a 2021 lawsuit by the doctors' associations against Ramdev, his associate Acharya Balkrishna as well as Patanjali Ayurveda. According to the lawsuit, Ramdev made "unsubstantiated claims" with respect to 'Coronil' being a cure for Covid-19, contrary to the licence granted to the drug for merely being an "immuno-booster".
The Supreme Court of India on August 13 , closed ongoing contempt proceedings against Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali MD Acharya by accepting the apologies tendered by them.
The court pointed out, "If a party or the advocate acts in such a manner so as to convey to the court a firm conviction that an undertaking is being given regardless of the fact that the word “undertaking” has not been specifically mentioned, that party will be bound down and it will be no answer that he did not think that he was giving it or that he was misunderstood."
(With PTI Inputs)