The Union health ministry should take action against yoga guru Ramdev as he has misled people by making "unlearned" statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine, the Indian Medical Association said on Saturday.

Ramdev should be prosecuted under the Epidemic Diseases Act as "untutored" statements are "a threat to the literate society of the country as well as to the poor people falling prey to him", the apex doctors' body said in a statement.

Citing a video circulating on social media, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said Ramdev is seen saying that "allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwalilya science hai (allopathy is such a stupid science)".

He also says that "lakhs of people have died after taking allopathic medicines", the association said, adding that Ramdev claimed Remdesivir, Faviflu, and all other drugs, which were approved by the Drugs Controller General of India, have failed in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

"The Union health minister (Harsh Vardhan) who himself is a practicing modern medicine allopathic postgraduate and head of this (health) ministry, should either accept the challenge and accusation of this gentleman and dissolve the modern medical facility or boldly face and prosecute the person for his words of arson on the sovereignty of the country and book him under the Epidemic Act to save millions of people from such unscientific utterances," the IMA said.

It alleged that Ramdev is trying to take advantage of the situation and create a sense of fear and frustration among the people at large.

He is doing this "so that he can sell his illegal and unapproved so-called medicines and make money at the cost of the public at large", the association said.

The IMA said Ramdev deserves to be prosecuted for disobeying and causing danger to the life of many by making them believe to not to take the advice of allopathy doctors.

"The IMA demands and resolves if the minister (Harsh Vardhan) is not taking suo moto action we will be forced to resort to democratic means of struggle to propagate the truth to the common man and knock on the doors of the judiciary to get justice,'' it said.

Taking people for ransom and winning business by defaming scientific medicine are unpardonable offenses, the IMA said.

Citing Ramdev's remarks it said such "untutored and unlearned" statements are a threat to society.

Patanjali clarifies

Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust later denied allegations by the IMA, saying he has "utmost regards" for doctors and support staff who have been working day and night during such a challenging time of the pandemic.

He was "reading out a forwarded WhatsApp message received by him and various other members who were participating in the event", a statement issued by the Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust added.

"Swami jee has no ill-will against the modern science and good practitioners of modern medicine. What is being attributed against him is false and nugatory," said the statement signed by the trust General Secretary Acharya Balakrishna.