POLL Analysis | Baba Ramdev evades tax due: will this deface his movement?
Baba Ramdev, who spearheaded the anti-black money movement made news recently for his alleged involvement in a tax-elusion scam. A recent clip telecast by CNN-IBN showed records from the Intelligence Bureau of India accusing Baba Ramdev's service tax evasion to the tune of Rs 4 crore has created a furore all over. Records revealed that Divya Yog Mandir trust by Baba Ramdev had not paid service tax for the money that was generated by its members.
I Paid a Bribe asked its readers whether Ramdev’s involvement in the tax scam would affect the support he has garnered for his campaign against corruption. 23 % of the readers were of the opinion that this piece of news would adversely affect his image while 29% said he would soon be cleared of all the charges against him. Majority of our readers (48%) felt that this was all done with an ulterior motive of tarnishing his image.
However Ramdev has reverted to the notice which was sent to him two days ago. “We’ve received the notice of Rs. 4.94 crore, but we don’t fall under the ambit of service tax, as we’re not earning commercial profit out of yoga camps.” said Ramdev’s spokesperson.
Of late Ramdev has been in touch with many political party leaders in order to gather their support for his movement. Considering the support that he has, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the impact his movement will have in the days to come.
By Manisha Yadav