PM Modi is India’s brand ambassador, not Patanjali’s: Baba Ramdev

Yoga guru-turned-tycoon Baba Ramdev on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the brand ambassador of India and not his FMCG empire Patanjali.

A day after the prime minister inaugurated a research institute run by Patanjali Ayurveda in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, Ramdev refused to be drawn into questions on Modi’s presence benefiting his brand, saying Modi was leader of all 125 crore Indians.

Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, which Ramdev set up in 2006, has seen phenomenal growth in last few years, clocking a reported Rs 10,561 crore revenue in the year ended March 31, 2017.

“Prime Minister Modi does not endorse Patanjali brand anywhere. PM belongs to 125 crore Indians, does he not belong to Pantanjali? He is not Patanjali’s brand ambassador, he is India’s brand ambassador,” Patanjali Ayurved’s promoter Ramdev said at the sidelines of an event here. mWhen asked if Patanjali benefits from such perceptions, Ramdev said people are free to say anything they want and “I don’t want to comment on it.”

Yesterday, Modi inaugurated a research institute at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, designed to facilitate clinical trials and modern packaging of ayurvedic medicines. The institute, he said, would pave the way for a wider acceptance of India’s traditional therapeutic systems.

Ramdev-led Patanjali is looking at a two-fold jump in sales at over Rs 20,000 crore this fiscal as it plans to double distribution network to 12,000 across the country.