New Delhi, Apr 27 (India Today) : Ramdev Baba Ramdev was offered a Cabinet rank in the Haryana government.Slamming the Haryana government's decision to appoint Baba Ramdev as the state's brand ambassador of yoga and ayurveda, the Congress has questioned the yoga guru's educational qualifications.
Demanding the state government to withdraw its decision, former Haryana minister Sampat Singh said the decision to appointment Ramdev as the brand ambassador was not justified as he lacked formal education. Singh also hit out at the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government's decision to rename Gurukuls as Acharyakulams.
Singh was of the opinion that entrusting the yoga guru for imparting yoga and ayurveda in the formal system of education would be an utter disregard as the latter lacked even formal education.
"The state government should roll back its decision to appoint Ramdev as the brand ambassador as he has no formal education, not even a degree. Those people in the state, who are already teaching yoga and practicing ayurveda in the state are highly qualified and hold doctorate degrees. Ayurvedic doctors have MS and MD degrees. Ramdev's appointment is like a joke. The government should give preference to qualified doctors and trainers," the Congress leader said.
Singh said renaming Gurukuls as Archaryakulam was ridiculous as both the words mean the same. "The government should have promoted and upgraded the existing 35 Gurukuls instead of renaming them," he added.
The senior Congress leader had earlier raised the issue in the state Assembly and alleged that the state government's decision had nothing to do with the promotion of ayurveda and yoga. "All this was done to please Ramdev as he had canvassed for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the general elections last year," he added.
The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government had gone ahead with its plan to appoint Ramdev as its brand ambassador to promote the discipline in state-run schools despite stiff opposition from the Congress.
Interestingly, the yoga guru had refused the status saying he was a 'fakir' and he was above respect and disrespect. "I will promote yoga selflessly," he had said.