Ramdev demands life term for adulteration

Yoga guru and Ayurveda proponent Baba Ramdev on Wednesday demanded life imprisonment for those found guilty of adulterating food and manufacturing spurious medicines.

"This is one of the most heinous forms of crime," Baba Ramdev, who was speaking on exercises and nutrition, told reporters at Mantralaya, the state secretariat here.

On the International Yoga Day on June 21, Baba Ramdev would be in Nanded for a Yoga initiative, which would be attended by 1.5 lakh people and even Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would be performing Yoga with Ramdev.

"Recently, I heard that in China a man was hanged to death for adulteration... I must say, we should make a beginning... If not capital punishment, we must award life imprisonment in cases involving food adulteration and the making of spurious medicines," Ramdev said.

The ambassador of Yoga said that there should be zero tolerance against adulteration.

Baba Ramdev said that there are instances where people were caught doing 'milavat' (adultration) and making 'nakli' (spurious) medicines.

"These people should not be spared," he said, adding that such products affect the human body and can be fatal in the long run.

"Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak had said 'swaraj is my birthright'... I say 'health is my birthright'... Health is as important as anything else," he noted.

Ramdev expressed concern over the increasing number of Indians suffering from diabetes, blood pressure, stress, anxiety, and obesity.

"This is a grave concern... Fitness has to be incorporated in lifestyle, we need to tell kids about the importance of Yoga," he said.

"Yoga is not about religion, caste, politics... Please keep it away from these...Yoga will bring in unity, peace, harmony, and health in the world," he added.