The 'Ram' who never speaks like a God

"Third child should not be allowed to vote".

The saffron-stole clad and famously bearded Baba Ramdev is never hesitant to twist his body and making bold postures for the sake of Yoga. But apart from his yogic excellence, the boldness more often than not is seen in his statements, albeit controversial. He is intrepid and powerful -- two requisite traits to deliver statements that makes some condone his behaviour, coupled with amusement. So it is no surprise that he propagated his idea that the third child in a family should not be allowed to vote, his very own solution to control the meteor-like growing population of India. And one should not feel surprised to find that he had said such thing before, with equal gusto, conviction and lack of social awareness.

Here are the five instances when he went berserk.

“He goes to Dalit's house for honeymoon and picnic. Had he married a Dalit girl, then his luck could have clicked and he would have become the Prime Minister.”

Ramdev calls himself a fakir, and often a representative of those oppressed. But here, he took a completely different stance. He not only slammed Congress President Rahul Gandhi by making a derogatory statement, but he also humiliated a whole group of people who are still fighting for equality and basic rights in this society even after all these years of Independence - the Dalits. The scoff was typical of him, a jibe that once again brought forth the vast gap between the different strata of the society and the perception of objectifying the Dalits. Though he later retracted from the shambolic statement following public pressure, the jibe continues to resonate in the annals of his controversial remarks.

“We respect this country’s law and Constitution, otherwise if anybody disrespects Bharat Mata, we have the capability of beheading, not one but thousands and lakhs.”

He claims himself to be a patriot. His way of patriotism is not of love and peace, but one that is laced with jingoism, hatred and more terrifyingly, nonchalant courage to use violence. He famously said this -- ironically, in a conference for harmony for the RSS. His patriotism means only "Bharat Mata ki Jai", and even if someone is unwilling, the person has to chant at the top of the voice. Or else risk roaming without a head. Thankfully, he has respect for the laws of the land.

"If I would have been a fair-skinned person, the Nobel Prize would have been awarded to me till now for my work in the field of yoga. But, it has been denied to me because I am black.”

This was a paradigm shift as Baba Ramdev emerged as the cape crusader for those who have faced racial discrimination for centuries. But before anyone speculates and prepares applause for his bravado, hold on. Like a typical Baba Ramdev statement, this one also defied logic. He demanded Nobel Prize and whined that the glory of receiving the prestigious honour remained elusive to him because he is black. Maybe, Nelson Mandela turned in his grave and chuckled in amusement.

Till now why any Sanyasi has not got Bharat Ratna? They have given Mother Teresa this award as she was a Christian, but they will not give to other seers as they are Hindus.”

She came to India, worked for the poor and was hailed as a saint. But even her humanitarian works and a Nobel Peace Prize could not save her from Baba Ramdev's famous wrath. He once complained that India has produced many sanyasis like Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, but they were never conferred with the Bharat Ratna. Instead, Mother Teresa received India's highest civilian award because she was a Christian. Surely enough, Baba knows no peace.

"Everything is related to deeds, our birth and death are related to deeds. For disease, there are several reasons one reason is Karma.”

This is Baba Ramdev defending Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who said that those dying of cancer is the result of sins committed in the past life. In a country where ministers remark that Lord Ganesha was the first example of plastic surgery, or that Pushpak Rath is the first example of a real aeroplane, this one statement would come as the least surprising. Ramdev chose to defy both logic and science, and blame Karma for cancer. Now the doctors know where to find the root cause of the disease and treat accordingly.