Yoga guru Ramdev, who is on an indefinite hunger strike against black money and corruption, on Thursday made public details of his business empire worth over Rs 1,100 crore, claiming everything was in order.
On his sixth day of fast, Baba Ramdev addressed a press conference here during which his close aide Acharya Balkrishna said that the capital involving the four trusts run by him totalled Rs 426.19 crore while the expenditure incurred on them amounted to Rs 751.02 crore.
“We believe in transparency in work and in financial matters. There is proper audit of all our firms and companies.
“As per rules, government renews our trusts after every two years only when our audits are clean. What has come and what has gone, who has given it and how was it spent, is all maintained,” Acharya Balkrishna said.
The move to make public assets followed questions raised by Digvijay Singh and other Congress leaders who wanted a thorough probe into the source of the wealth acquired by Baba Ramdev in the last five years.
Acharya Balkrishna, however, did not give details of the companies associated with Baba Ramdev, saying it can be obtained from Registrar of Companies under the RTI Act.
“We pay tax as per government norms. TDS is deducted. We follow all rules. Details of all out associate companies can be taken from Registrar of Companies and from the government under the RTI Act. Tax details and balance sheets of trusts have been put on the web site,” he said.
While Divya Yoga Mandir Trust has a capital of Rs 249.63 crore, Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust has Rs 164.80 crore, Bharat Swabhiman Trust has Rs 9.97 crore and Acharyakul Shiksha Sansthan has Rs 1.79 crore — all totalling Rs 426.19 crore. The expenditure outlined for these trusts since their inception came to Rs 751.02 crore.
The yoga guru, who is on a fast since June 4 demanding that black money stashed away abroad be brought back, said his hunger strike will continue till his demands are met.
“Fast will continue till my objective is achieved. I do not care even if I die. The fast will go on,” Baba Ramdev said.
He also said that Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust will bear all expenses for the treatment of people injured in the police action at Ramlila grounds, especially Rajbala (the woman who received spinal injuries in the police lathicharge at Ramlila Ground) who has been grievously hurt.
