First Andaman island, now 600 acres in Maharashtra for Baba Ramdev

Two days after the Maharashtra government signed a memorandum of understanding with yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth, handing over more than 600 acres of land in Nagpur for an orange processing plant, the Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday cancelled a lease of 28 acres to the same company.

The Himachal Pradesh plot, granted to Patanajali Yogpeeth Trust in 2010 by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government for Rs 17 lakh for 99 years, came under the scanner for irregularities after the Congress came into power in 2012. Meanwhile, opposition leaders in Maharashtra are protesting Monday’s memorandum, claiming the land has been given to Ramdev at concessional rates.

It is easy to laugh at Baba Ramdev for his often absurd statements, but he is an economic force to reckon with in the fast-moving consumer goods market and he also has great influence with the BJP. After all, cabinet ministers don’t often offer people land in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as shipping minister Nitin Gadkari did in November, when he said that the centre was keen to give Ramdev an island there to establish a yoga resort.

Cautious start

Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in an overwhelming majority in May 2014, Arun Jaitley, not-yet finance minister at that point, had an unusual message for yoga guru Baba Ramdev.

“In 1977, a movement under the leadership of Jaiprakash Narayan led to change in the system,” he said at a programme organised by Ramdev's followers. “But later, JP kept himself out of the government. Gandhiji had led the freedom movement but kept himself out of the power structure.”

Ramdev was a key campaigner for the BJP in the run up to the general election, and as BJP MP Babul Supriyo alleged that May, he was soliciting bribes from people in exchange for ensuring tickets from the party. Jaitley’s statement was a reminder to him that he ought not to expect any favours from the new government.

Jaitley ought to have saved his breath. Ramdev has long profited from various BJP governments at the state level and in the nearly two years since the party assumed power at the centre, he has enjoyed as many benefits from the centre, with offers ranging from Z-category security to an island.

This is not even the first island that Ramdev might own. In 2009, an NRI couple gifted him a 900-acre island in Scotland called Peace Island. The Enforcement Directorate filed a case against Ramdev investigating a possible violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act for this. In May it was reported that the directorate was considering closing this case – as it had for another case of alleged money laundering against Ramdev’s aide Balkrishna in October 2014.

In the initial months after the elections, this warmth translated into BJP president Amit Shah and AYUSH minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurating two of Ramdev’s facilities. Neither of these were unusual in themselves, nor was the three-day youth camp the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh held at his Patanjali ashram in Haridwar in November that year.

Then in August, the Defence Research and Development Organisation announced that it would tie up with Patanjali Yogpeeth to market herbal supplements and food products made by the organisation. At around the same time, tribal affairs minister Jual Oram said that he would collaborate with Ramdev to develop solutions to end malnutrition.

Minor perks

Last year was fruitful for Ramdev. Not only did his venture into FMCG through Patanjali give serious competition to established industry players, he also got a major incidental tax break when prime minister Narendra Modi announced in February 2015 that the income of yoga-related charitable trusts would be exempted from service tax.

In October 2014, the ministry of home affairs granted him Z-category security, which entitles Ramdev to have 20 CRPF personnel when travelling in the country, and the protection of as many from the Delhi police when in the national capital. This was not enough for Ramdev. In September, he requested that he be added to the no-frisk list at airports as well. This request is still pending with the civil aviation ministry.

Ramdev has had other proposals for the centre. In a meeting with the minister for micro, small and medium enterprises towards the end of 2014, Ramdev suggested that Patanjali Yogapeeth take full control over khadi marketing and management across the country. In December that year, the ministry rejected the proposal, saying that it would consider it only as advice.

Another suggestion came to fruition in October, when the guru said that he had the support of the prime minister to set up a Vaidik Education Board parallel to the existing Central Board for Secondary Education and which will revive “ancient methods” of Indian learning. This will be constituted in 2016.

But Ramdev’s true love affair has been with the Haryana government, of which state he was appointed the brand ambassador in April. Although he was offered the status of a state cabinet minister with this appointment, Ramdev rejected it, saying that he wanted to remain only a Baba. In Haryana, he has offered to open 10,000 yoga centres and to teach yoga as a part of the syllabus in existing schools.