Despite their emphasis on transparency,the Baba Ramdev camp today provided only sketchy details of the assets and finances of the four trusts run by the yoga guru. Although the declaration of assets was made shortly after the Patanjali Yogpeeth issued a press release stating that Ramdev had decided to go on a maun vrat,both the yoga guru and his aide,Acharya Balakrishna,addressed the press conference. According to the information revealed,while the four trusts have a capital of Rs 426.19 crore accrued through donations and sale of medicines,they have incurred an expenditure including on social service of Rs 785.09 crore so far. Balakrishna said the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust the first of the trusts formed by the yoga guru has a capital of Rs 249.63 crore and has so far spent Rs 685.25 crore. Similarly,the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has a capital of Rs 164.80 crore and has incurred an expenditure of Rs 53.92 crore. The Bharat Swabhimaan Trust and Acharyakul Shiksha Sansthan have a combined capital of just under Rs 12 crore with their expenditure adding up to roughly the same amount. Balakrishna,however,gave no details about the companies being run by these trusts,nor did he reveal the source of funds. He said details about the companies can be obtained from the Registrar of Companies,while other details including the Income-Tax returns filed by the trusts could be extracted using the Right to Information Act. Anybody can seek details from the ROC or through the RTI route, he said. He emphasised that the Patanjali Yogpeeth is being transparent because of the questions being raised by some quarters. We understand the need for maintaining financial probity and being transparent. Our trusts comply with government regulations and the accounts are audited periodically. Income-Tax returns are also filed,licences are renewed regularly. That shows there are no irregularities, said Balakrishna. Meanwhile,even as Ramdevs fast entered the sixth day today,there seemed to be a well-choreographed effort to prepare the ground for ending it. All the speakers who addressed the gathering urged the Baba to call off his fast. But Ramdev said he would take a decision tomorrow. The Haridwar District Magistrate and Chief Medical Officer also turned up at the venue to check on his health. CMO Yogesh Chand Sharma said Ramdev has agreed to take honey and lemon water. The officials also indicated that if he continues his fast,they would consider the option of force-feeding him to save his life. Several Hindu religious leaders,under the aegis of the Sant Samaj,also appealed to Ramdev to end his fast. At least two of them told The Indian Express,on condition of anonymity,that the organisers had asked them to make a public appeal for Ramdev to call off his fast.
