ANI
Lucknow, Jun 17: Yoga guru Swami Ramdev, known to cure many illnesses through his yogic and breathing exercises, has endorsed Union Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss’s campaign against aerated drinks.
Swami Ramdev urged the Government to make it mandatory for the manufacturers of the soft drinks to warn the public about the harmful effects of these drinks.
"The duty on soft drinks should be increased to a level that it becomes beyond the reach of a common man. Secondly, earlier tobacco and cigarettes used to carry warning that it can lead to cancer, but after a court direction, it now reads boldly, it will lead to cancer,” Swami Ramdev said.
“Similarly these soft drinks should also carry warnings in bold letters that drinking soft drinks will lead to cancer, impotency, osteoporosis and also diabetes. Once this is done no celebrity will dare to endorse it," he added.
Ramdoss had recently urged celebrities to stay away from endorsing aerated drinks. He reasoned that juvenile diabetes and obesity were on the rise and soft drinks were having a detrimental effect on children’s health.
Swami Ramdev has a huge following across the world and many have benefited from his genre of yoga and Ayurvedic treatments.
He was in the thick of a controversy after Communist Party of India (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat alleged that ayurvedic medicines dispensed at his clinics contained human or animal extracts.
However, in Uttaranchal - where he has set up a hermitage and medical pharmacy - he has been given a clean chit.