Ramdev withdraws allopathy remark

New Delhi: Yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday withdrew his recent statements on allopathic medicine which triggered strong protests from the medical fraternity and forced Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to write a letter asking him to withdraw the statement.

Responding to a letter from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Ramdev said he wants to put the matter to rest.

"Hon'ble Minister, I have received your letter. I withdraw my statement, putting to rest the controversy over various medical practices... (jee aapaka patr praapt hua, usake sandarbh mein chikitsa paddatiyon ke sangharsh ke is poore vivaad ko khedapoorvak viraam dete hue main apana vaktavy vaapis leta hoon)," he tweeted from his personal Twitter handle.

Earlier on Sunday, Vardhan in his two-page letter mentioned, "The people of the country are very hurt with your remark on allopathic medicines. I have already told you about this feeling over the phone. Doctors and health workers are like gods for the people of the country for whom they are fighting against the Coronavirus risking their lives."

Calling the statement "extremely unfortunate", he further said that clarification is "not enough" as he is a public figure and he must consider the current situation before commenting on such a sensitive issue.

In the letter written in Hindi, Dr Harsh Vardhan added, "You (Ramdev) have not only insulted Corona warriors but have hurt the feelings of the people of the country. Your statement on allopathy can break the morale of healthcare workers and weaken our fight against COVID-19. Not only in India, but the doctors across the world are treating and have recovered COVID-19 patients with allopathic medicines."