Yoga guru Ramdev found himself at the center of controversy after a viral video seemed to show him making remarks against Other Backward Classes (OBC).
However, Ramdev clarified that his comments were directed at AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, not the OBC community.
The video, widely circulated on social media, sparked outrage as it suggested that Ramdev had demeaned the OBC community by asserting his Brahmin identity.
In response to media queries, Ramdev insisted that his statement had been “misconstrued and misheard.”
“I said ‘Owaisi’ and not ‘OBC.’ His (Owaisi’s) predecessors were anti-nationals. I don’t take him seriously,” Ramdev said.
The viral video showed Ramdev performing a ritual on stage among a large crowd and saying, “Mera mool gotra hai brahma gotra. Aur main hoon agnihotri. Agnihotri brahmin hoon main. Bole ‘Babaji aap toh OBC ho’. OBC wale aisi taisi karaye. (My primary gotra is brahma gotra. And I am an Agnihotri Brahman. People say babaji is OBC).
“I am a Vedi Brahmin, Dwivedi Brahmin, Trivedi Brahmin, and Chaturvedi Brahmin – I have read four Vedas,” he further can be heard saying.
After the video went viral, many on social media expressed their disapproval using the hashtag #boycottpatanjali and criticized Ramdev for his alleged insult to the backward community.
