What has happened to Baba’s old commitment of bringing back black money stashed abroad

I am shocked, astonished and rather surprised to know as to how a flamboyant saint in saffron giving so much to his countrymen through Yoga, famous nationally as well as internationally for mobilising millions n millions of people of India against the then ruling political dispensation, four years ago, called Congress Party, on the issue of corruption and bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks in few months is today extremely mum and ignorant on this pivotal issue and busy in minting thousands of crores through outsourcing half of the products, thereafter allegedly stamping them as Patanjali products and selling them gigantically all over the country and even abroad by advertising them spending hundreds of crores thus enticing people to buy these products.

Today, Patanjali has assumed global significance and reputation and there is hardly a single product that dosen’t bear the Patanjali brand name. Baba Ramdev who few years ago along with his partner Balkishan against whom cases of fake passport etc were registered during the previous Congress regime travelled on bicycle and had few thousand Rupees as bank balance are today the richest businessmen with a worth of more than 50 thousand crores travelling in expensive airconditioned cars. It’s an irony: Baba Ramdev’s basic agenda and his public pledges and commitments of bringing back black money stashed abroad after his government comes to power at the centre have been forgotton, all commitments betrayed and people of the country befooled.

There are news items of Patanjali allegedly seeking favours and political patronage from the current political dispensation in power if not directly then indirectly. His several protest demonstrations right from Jantar Mantar to Ramleela ground to various parts of the country during the Congress regime at the centre against black money stashed abroad and corruption blaming the then party in power n assuring the people of doing the needful if Modiji climbs on the political saddle have taken the back seat and not a single word or statement is heard from Baba Ram Dev’s mouth, now, the same saffron clad Baba who from Ram leela ground during crusader against corruption icon Anna Hazare’s rally skipped clandestinely in the form of a woman wearing the female clothing/ attire and prior to his escape publicly claimed of fulfilling his bring black money back to India from banks abroad not once but repeatedly. Ironically, the same Baba is now busy in propaging his products through highly expensive advertisements branding himself as an iconic personality, appearing on TV reality shows, hob nobbing with the political highups, addressing prestigious India Today Media conclaves addressing the rich, elite, affluents and the top corporates of the country to the utter dismay, surprise and shock of one and all.

What a dramatic and meterioric rise in just two decades, from a Bhoosa carrying saint on bycycle to a Patanjali corporate, worth thousands of crores being counted amongst the top few rich of the country. But the people of the country are still questioning: What has happened to his repeated public commitment of bringing back, the black money worth 22 lakh crores stashed in foreign banks, about which he used to talk and publicly pledge so much during rallies and mass political campaigns in 2013 drawing crowds and support for BJP. Propagation of Yoga and awaring people nationally by baba Ramdev is definitely worth praising but the way he has given up his mission of bringing back black money stashed abroad which used to be his single point agenda four years ago has given an unambiguous impression that now he has fully compromised with the powers that be and deflected from the targetted goal that ultimately gave him so much of name,fame, wealth and physical comforts. Today he is more a celebrity of reality shows than a saint with a mission to change the society upside down as a crusader against corruption Anna Hazare. What’s your take friends?
Sunil Negi