The controversy surrounding Baba Ramdev and his comments on allopathic treatments amid a raging COVID-19 pandemic has flared up after the Yoga Guru wrote an open letter to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), asking them 25 questions on allopathy.
The letter by Ramdev came after Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had written to him expressing disappointment over the former’s comments in a widely circulated video where he is heard saying that allopathy is “a stupid science” and medicines such as Remdesivir, Fabiflu, and other drugs approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) have failed to treat COVID-19 patients.
As the IMA demanded action against Ramdev, he retracted his statement on allopathy following Vardhan’s letter.
However, Ramdev then wrote an open letter to the IMA, asking for cures for several diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and blockages in the heart, along with cures for humanising rude and violent people” and “sorting out differences between practitioners of Ayurveda and allopathy”.
While Ramdev is being slammed for his comments against allopathy and doctors, Dr Jayesh M Lele, Secretary-General, IMA, is being praised for taking Ramdev head-on in a TV debate.
What did Ramdev’s Letter to the IMA Say?
In a letter to the IMA, Ramdev asked 25 questions, seeking cure for diseases like diabetes, hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, along with painless solutions to lose weight and infertility.
Ramdev also asked the IMA if allopathy could cure “violent and rude people” or if it could “resolve the differences between allopathy and Ayurveda.” Ramdev also asked how allopathic doctors could get sick if the science was so successful.
IMA Gen Secy Dr Lele Praised for TV Debate Against Ramdev
As the controversy grew, Baba Ramdev appeared on TV news channel Aaj Tak, where he was questioned for allegedly humiliating doctors.
In the show hosted by journalist Anjana Om Kashyap, many praised Dr Lele.
In the debate, Dr Lele also questioned why Ramdev was appearing for the debate with banners of Coronil, an Ayurvedic medicine that Ramdev last year had claimed would prevent people from contracting COVID, placed before the camera.
Ramdev Slammed for Unscientific Claims
Several others took to Twitter to slam Ramdev’s unscientific statements and accused him of resorting to publicity stunts at the peak of the pandemic.
Many also alleged the Central government’s of having a timid response to Ramdev’s statements and demanded his arrest for spreading false claims amid the pandemic.
Ramdev’s War Against Allopathy and Fake Claims on COVID Crisis
Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Ramdev has made several unscientific claims on COVID-19.
Earlier in 2020, Ramdev’s company Patanjali Ayurveda also touted Coronil as a cure for COVID-19, a statement that was later retracted by the company, following a controversy.
In several of his Yoga sessions, Ramdev can be heard questioning allopathic treatments for COVID-19 that are being used globally. He has also claimed that thousands of doctors have died of COVID-19 despite undergoing the treatments.
While the country was dealing with an acute shortage of oxygen supply in hospitals at the peak of the second wave, Ramdev was slammed for mocking the situation by saying that “people were looking for cylinders outside while God has given you two cylinders right here inside you,” while referring to one’s lungs.
Recently, Sunil Bansal, who headed the dairy business of Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurveda, died of COVID-19. In a statement, Patanjali said that it had “no role in his allopathic treatment which was being coordinated by his wife”.
On Tuesday, IMA’s Uttararanchal State Branch also wrote to Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat over Ramdev's statements against allopathic treatments.
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