Why Amit Shah had to personally visit and mollify Baba Ramdev

BJP president Amit Shah calls on yoga guru Baba Ramdev was the breaking news flashing on Monday, June 4. But why should that be big news when Ramdev is part of the Modi-Shah inner circle? Is he not the brain behind the International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21? Has his Patanjali business not seen incredible growth since Narendra Modi came to power?

Even more surprising was what Shah told media after the meeting, presented as part of his ongoing “Sampark For Samarthan” campaign: "I came to Baba Ramdev for his support. He patiently heard everything I had to say”. In other words, the second-most powerful political leader in India “came to” the businessman-baba seeking “support”. And the Baba was gracious enough to listen patiently.

The BJP chief said further: “I told him about all the work we have done during the last four years of our government under Modiji. I also gave him literature about our achievements so far. I sought his help and guidance so that we can spread the message to crores of his followers". The BJP President also made sure to tweet photos of himself beside Baba Ramdev, performing gau seva for the cows at the Patanjali Ashram in Delhi.

It is time to pause, scratch one’s head and ask: What’s going on? What is all this extreme courtesy all about? Did not Ramdev declare Narendra Modi to be a Rashtra Rishi not so long ago during live TV coverage of the inauguration of the Patanjali Research Institute in Haridwar? Has the yoga guru not often boasted that he was the spiritual and financial force behind the 2014 election victory?

Yes to everything. But it seems times have changed. Perhaps the guru-shishya relationship has been under a bit of strain of late. Ramdev has not been getting the attention he deserves. His Patanjali business ventures have slowed down. His applications for launching three news TV channels were kept pending for almost a year, before being finally cleared only two weeks ago by the new I&B Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, that too after he complained in public about the delay.

Also, while Ayush Minister Sripad Yesso Naik has been periodically updating Ramdev about this year’s Yoga Day preparations, the yoga guru has not been given the status of star organiser of the show.

Ramdev’s unhappiness clear as Patanjali faces new challenges

More clues lie in recent media reports about the Patanjali Group’s business performance, especially in pink paper financial dailies, saying Patanjali is approaching the limit of its growth potential. They have attributed the temporary slowdown in sales growth in 2017 to the Patanjali management’s inability to handle competition in the marketplace.

The real reason is that, as Ramdev’s close aide Patanjali owner and MD Acharya Balkrishna has said, Modi’s policies have had an adverse impact. Drastic decisions like demonetisation and GST affected all packaged goods companies, especially in the herbal personal care segment.

There have also been media reports about quality issues with some Patanjali products. None of the BJP ministers have come to Ramdev’s rescue by denying that Patanjali products suffer from quality issues and that customers, especially in the urban areas, are shifting back to established brands because of that.

Another reason for the stagnant sales, say analysts, is that Patanjali expanded too fast and its distribution network and retail outlets chain are not efficient enough to handle the growth volume.

But Brand Ramdev is powerful enough to drive sales, yet BJP spokesmen have not been briefed to counter the disinformation against a pure and noble swadeshi industry struggling to fight against ‘foreign’ giants like Hindustan Unilever, Nestle India and ITC Ltd, all of whom have shown rapid growth!

Isn’t it the patriotic duty of the Ayush ministry to popularise the practice of yoga and the use of ayurvedic products. Instead of that, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence was sent to seize 50 tonnes sandalwood being exported to China by Patanjali!

It was because of all these and other reasons that Baba Ramdev decided to travel to Patna on May 11 to congratulate Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on his son's marriage and blessed the groom Tej Pratap Yadav by tying a "raksha sutra" sacred thread around his neck to cast off evil eyes and also to blessed the bride Aishwarya.

That is why the yoga guru felt it necessary to tell media persons that "Lalu is not a criminal. He is a friendly man and an astute politician”.

That is probably also why BJP president Amit Shah had to rush to call on Baba Ramdev and seek his blessings for the 2019 elections.

The next stop on Shah’s mollification tour is the famous Matoshree residence in Mumbai, where Shah will go in person, tail firmly between his legs, to pacify Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, without whose support BJP faces certain defeat in the next general and assembly elections in Maharashtra. Like many BJP presidents before him who had to go in person to meet Uddhav’s father, the arrogant Shah too will have to eat humble pie and try to appease Bal Thackeray’s son in his home. No one is convinced by the reason cited by Shah for the visit, supposedly to inform Uddhav Thackeray about the Modi government’s achievements. Watch this space to see whether Shah succeeds in the rather uphill task of regaining Uddhav’s friendship and support.