Baba Ramdev has left no doubt that he is a big fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise move to demonetise currency notes for ₹500 and ₹1,000. Last week, when the yoga guru was asked about people unable to get food, he said that staying hungry can prove patriotism, thanks to the move that has made their money unusable now.
"During war, our soldiers fight without eating food for seven to eight days," he said. "So, can't we do the same for our nation?" Ramdev's shocking comment soon turned into WhatsApp forwards, warming the cockles of his devotees' hearts.
Now, the yoga guru-turned-entrepreneur has done it again. This time he decided to crack a joke in the expense of thousands of families facing a massive cash crunch in the wedding season.
"Many in the BJP are bachelors...they didn't realise it was wedding season...that was the mistake," Ramdev joked, during an event. His insensitive statement came with a chuckle.
"If they (government) had done this around 15 days or one month later then there weddings wouldn't have been so badly affected. One good thing that has come out of all this...people cannot demand dowry," Ramdev continued joking.
As the wedding season approaches, families find themselves in a peculiar situation. With the drastic cancellation of tender character of bank notes of ₹500 and ₹1,000 denominations, people are stranded with currency that is now not being accepted by vendors.
And Ramdev's statement doesn't sound very different from the Prime Minister's.
Last week, in Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to an audience about the havoc wreaked after the demonetisation move. His tone was vastly different from what he used to address his countrymen in India.
In the video clip, Modi is seen laughingly telling the audience that in homes that are preparing for marriage, there is suddenly a cash crunch. The audience bursts into laughter at the PM's comical hand gestures.
This Cruel PM making fun of Poor People .. "Ghar me Shaadi hai , par paisa nhi hai" #नोट_नहीं_PM_बदलोpic.twitter.com/nyB0tldo07
— Shuja Gandhi (@shujagandhi) November 14, 2016
According to a report, a bride's father in Bihar's Kaimur district succumbed to a heart attack allegedly worrying that the groom's family might reject the amount of ₹35,000 he had collected in ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes as dowry.
Ramdev's insensitive comment just made light of the situation that has caused inconvenience to millions.
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