New Delhi:
After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) slapped a foreign exchange violation case on Thursday, yoga guru Baba Ramdev today firmly denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he was a victim of a "political conspiracy".
Denying that he had violated any foreign exchange law, Mr Ramdev said that he hadn't received any notice from the investigating agency.
The yoga guru is under the scanner with 50 of his companies and trusts - part of his Rs 1,100 crore-empire - being under the scrutiny of the government. The ED had filed a case against Mr Ramdev stating that he and his trusts have violated foreign exchange laws. The case centres upon an island in Scotland - Little Cumbrae Island - that was gifted to him by a wealthy couple of Indian origin who claim to be his followers.
Early last month, the ED had asked authorities in the United Kingdom to share records of the purchase of the island, which serves as the yoga guru's base abroad. Mr Ramdev's trust claims the island is valued at $2 million. The ED says it is well over $20 million.
According to sources, the investigating agency has found evidence that Mr Ramdev and his trusts channelled unauthorised funds to overseas accounts, and has slapped a case of foreign exchange violations worth Rs 7 crore. Two large remittances were suspicious, they said - $300,000 transferred to a London bank and $80,000 sent to Madagascar in Africa.
Mr Ramdev refuted all allegations claiming that he was being targeted for speaking out against black money. The yoga guru's massive yoga camp in Delhi in June made headlines after thousands of people who had gathered there were lathi-charged late at night. The Supreme Court is reviewing the police's actions.
The camp had been organised by Baba Ramdev to highlight the need to recover black money or undeclared income funnelled into foreign bank accounts by Indians.