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Kolkata, Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Friday the Union Health Minister JP Nadda has been asked to probe into the accusations that Yoga guru Ramdev’s ayurvedic infertility medicine encourages gender discrimination, a day after the affair caused a furore in the Rajya Sabha.
“It is a gender issue. If you are asking for only a male child, it is illegal. The health minister has asked to look into the matter,” he said on Friday, responding to the pointed questions and accusations that the government had to face Thursday in the Rajya Sabha over the medicine, called ‘Divya Putrajeevak Beej’, sold by Ramdev’s Divya Pharmacy.
“However, you cannot bring this (product) under misleading advertisement. It says it guarantees a son and no one is challenging that the medicine is bad,” he said. He, however, did not elaborate whether his ministry will act against the medicine.
The controversy comes at a time when the NDA government’s project ‘Beti Bachhao, Beti Padao’ campaign aims to eliminate gender bias.
The opposition on Thursday had demanded a ban on the ayurvedic product, branding it “illegal” and unconstitutional and demanded stringent penal action against the manufacturers.
The Yoga guru, meanwhile, dismissed claims of having encouraged gender discrimination through his medicines and claimed that he was being targeted to sully the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image.
“MPs who have no clue about Ayurveda should be ashamed and should apologise to the nation. Nowhere on the medicine’s pack does it say that it helps one produce a son,” he said, addressing a press conference. He demanded an apology from JD (U) MP KC Tyagi, who raised the issue in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
He, however, added that he would add a disclaimer to the pack.
This would not be the first time Ramdev has been embroiled in a controversy involving his ayurvedic products. In 2006, the yoga guru was accused of using animal and human parts in his products. While then central government claimed the samples sent to it by CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat tested postive, these findings were contested by parties across the political spectrum.
