‘Patanjali running misleading campaigns against rivals’

New Delhi, July 4: Advertising watchdog ASCI has once again pulled up yoga guru Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved for running “misleading” ad campaigns that disparages competitors' products.

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said that Patanjali Ayurved “unfairly denigrates” products of its rivals in the advertisements.

The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) found that Patanjali's claim for its 'Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil' that rival makers are selling mustard oil “adulterated with oil made by solvent extraction process with neurotoxin containing Hexane”, was not substantiated.

“Also, the claim is grossly misleading by exaggeration,” the ad regulator said in its list for the month of April, 2016, in which it upheld 67 complaints against several companies.

Besides, Patanjali also failed to substantiate its claims for Patanjali Fruit Juice, where it had claimed rival brands as “expensive juicescontaininglesspulp”.

According to the regulator, the ad was accompanied by reference to the prices of other branded juices and “by implication unfairly denigrates the entire class/category of fruit juices”.

Similarly, it also failed to substantiate its claims in the ad for cattle feed 'Patanjali Dugdhamrut' as “other companies mix 3 to 4 per cent urea and other non-edible things in their cattle feed.” ASCI also held Patanjali Ayurved's ads for toothpaste 'Patanjali Dant Kanti' as misleading.

When contacted, a Patanjali Ayurved spokesperson said the company is looking into the details and exploring legal options in this matter. “We are looking into the details and are in talks with the legal department,” he said. PTI