IMA seeks sedition case against Ramdev; sends defamation notice to yoga guru

In a new twist to the row between IMA and yoga guru Ramdev, IMA on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a case of "sedition" against the latter for his alleged misinformation campaign on vaccination and challenging government protocols for treatment of Covid-19.

Accusing Ramdev of "viciously propagating the message of fear on vaccination" and "challenging the GOI protocols" for treatment of Covid-19, the IMA said, "this in our opinion is a clear cut case of sedition and such persons should be booked immediately without any delay under charges of sedition," in a letter issued by IMA President J A Jayalal and its Secretary General Jayesh Lele.

This came a day after the yoga guru's aide Acharya Balkrishna levelled allegations of communalism against the IMA President and two days after the yoga guru posed 25 questions to the IMA in an 'open letter' on his Twitter handle, asking if allopathy offered permanent relief for a list of ailments.

Read | Ramdev-IMA row turns murkier as Yoga Guru's supporters accuse IMA chief of supporting Christian conversion

"As part of the conspiracy to convert the entire country into #Christianity, #Yoga and #Ayurveda are being maligned by targeting @yogrishiramdev jee. Countrymen, wake up now from the deep slumber otherwise the generations to come will not forgive you," Balkrishna had tweeted.

IMA Uttarakhand has also served a defamation notice to Ramdev for his allegedly disparaging remarks against allopathy and allopathic doctors, demanding an apology from him within 15 days, failing which it said it will demand compensation of Rs 1,000 crore from the yoga guru. The body said the remarks of the yoga guru come under criminal act under Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The IMA, which had earlier taken objection to a video clip in which Ramdev was found saying "Allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwalia science hai (Allopathy is such a stupid ineffective science)", has now brought to the Prime Minister's notice a viral video on social media where Mr Ramdev, owner of Patanjali products, claims that 10,000 doctors have died in spite of taking both doses of the vaccine, and several lakhs of people have died due to allopathic medicines.

Also Read | After withdrawing his remarks on Allopathy, Ramdev poses 25 questions to IMA

In its letter to PM Modi, the IMA said it was gratifying to note that only 0.06 per cent of people who received both doses of the vaccine got minimal infection by the coronavirus, and very rarely did vaccinated people have a severe lung infection.

"We follow the guidelines and protocols issued by the ministry of health through ICMR or the National Task Force in our treatment offered to millions of people coming to our hospitals. If someone is claiming the allopathic medicine has killed people, it is an attempt to challenge the ministry which has issued the protocol for treatment to us," the IMA told the Prime Minister, adding that it is painful "to witness the great services rendered by nearly 10 lakhs of modern medical doctors in the forefront to work ridiculed and called as a stupid system."

Ramdev was forced to issue a statement withdrawing his remarks in the earlier video clip after Health Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote to him a terse letter, calling it "extremely unfortunate" after the IMA asked the Health Minister to either act against Ramdev or disband allopathy.

Timeline

May 22: IMA demanded that the Centre should take strict action against yoga guru Ramdev for making "unlearned" comments and describing modern medicine as "stupid science". The Resident Doctors' Associations of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital too condemned Ramdev's statement and demanded that "strictest steps" be taken against him. Delhi Medical Association (DMA) lodged a police complaint against Ramdev. Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust denied allegations saying the statement was taken out of context and Ramdev has "no ill-will against the modern science and good practitioners of modern medicine."

May 23: Yoga guru Ramdev withdrew recent remarks on Allopathy following a letter from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who asked him to withdraw the "extremely unfortunate" statement. Ramdev obliged saying he wants to put the matter to rest.

May 24: Ramdev asked the Indian Medical Association (IMA) if allopathy offered permanent relief for ailments such as hypertension and diabetes. In an 'open letter' posted on his Twitter handle, Ramdev posed 25 questions to IMA, which had objected to his video clip running down allopathy treatment for Covid-19.

May 25: Haryana Health Minister announces to distribute one lakh Coronil kits in the state; Ramdev asks Centre and other states to follow suit. Ramdev's aide Acharya Balakrishna took on IMA chief, alleging a Christian conspiracy by him, while many BJP junior leaders suspected a Congress conspiracy.

"We are not against any medicine promoted by the ministry and happy to share in most of our public health treatment centres, the drugs promoted by the AYUSH ministry. We opposed certain drugs promoted without the approval of ministry as a curative drug.

Also read — Ramdev-IMA row turns murkier as Yoga Guru's supporters accuse IMA chief of supporting Christian conversion

"We are pained to witness the great services rendered by nearly 10 lakhs of modern medical doctors in the forefront to work...are ridiculed and called as a stupid system. We appeal to your highness, to take appropriate action against individuals viciously propagating the message of fear on vaccination and challenge the government of India protocols for treatment for their vested interest in their company products. This in our opinion is a clear-cut case of a sedition and such persons should be booked immediately without any delay under the charges of sedition," the body said.

On Sunday, Ramdev was forced to withdraw a statement made in the viral video clip in which he is heard questioning some of the medicines being used to treat the coronavirus infection and saying that "lakhs have died from taking allopathic medicines for Covid-19".

The remarks were met with vociferous protests from the doctors' association, following which Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked him to withdraw the "extremely unfortunate" statement.

A day later, the yoga guru posed 25 questions to the IMA in an 'open letter' on his Twitter handle, asking if allopathy offered permanent relief for ailments such as hypertension and type-1 and 2 diabetes. He went on to list modern-day ailments such as Parkinson's disease and wondered if allopathy had any painless cure to treat infertility as well as to reverse ageing and increase hemoglobin.

Soon after, Ramdev's close aide Acharya Balkrishna took to Twitter, saying the yoga guru and Ayurveda were being targeted by allopathic practitioners under the IMA as part of a conspiracy.