Yoga guru Ramdev has stirred controversy once again by using the term “sharbat jihad” in a video that has since gone viral.
In the video, he claims that a company selling sharbat (a traditional drink) is funneling its profits into the construction of mosques and madrasas, while promoting Patanjali’s rose sharbat as a better alternative.
The video was posted by Patanjali Products on Facebook, with a Hindi caption that reads: "Save your family and innocent children from the toilet cleaner poison being sold in the name of 'sharbat jihad' and cold drinks. Take home only Patanjali sharbat and juices."
Ramdev rebukes soft drinks in the video, comparing them to toilet cleaner that individuals drink during the summer to cool off. He calls the practice an "attack" and a type of poison.
Ramdev states, "In the name of quenching thirst in summers, people consume cold drinks that are nothing but toilet cleaners. On the one hand, there's the assault of toilet-cleaner-type poison, and on the other, there's a business enterprise selling sharbat, using the money generated through it to construct mosques and madrasas. That's alright, it's their religion."
He goes on to mention that consumption of the sharbat of the company—most likely Hamdard's Rooh Afza—is what finances religious buildings such as mosques and madrasas. As a comparison, Ramdev states that when one chooses the rose sharbat of Patanjali, it finances educational establishments such as gurukuls, Acharyakulam, Patanjali University, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board.
Terming this as "sharbat jihad," Ramdev compares it with terms "love jihad" and "vote jihad," implying that individuals need to guard themselves against it.
But if you consume that sharbat, it aids in the establishment of mosques and madrasas. But if you consume Patanjali's rose sharbat, it aids in the establishment of gurukuls, Acharyakulam, Patanjali University, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board. That is why I say, just as there is love jihad and vote jihad, there is sharbat jihad too. So, you have to save yourself from this sharbat jihad," he added.
The video, which has been watched more than 37 million times, has raised a storm on social media, with some critics even pointing out that Ramdev's comments were motivated by a slowing down of his business. "His business is slowing down, that's why he has launched a new product," was one reaction.
Ramdev had earlier been involved in a scandal when the Supreme Court asked him to apologize for making false assertions that Patanjali products had the power to "cure" serious health ailments.
The "sharbat jihad" remark has evoked universal condemnation, particularly on the X (formerly Twitter) social media platform. A few users ridiculed the prospect of a "new jihad" being introduced to the market, with one user posting, "Which way is the country heading? Lala ji now invents Sharbat Jihaad."
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