His proximity to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), particularly Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elicits closer scrutiny as his influence continues to grow and his “non-political” statements get more political. “The scale of his activities is nothing short of criminal,” said Siva, who claims he survived four attacks for “investigating Sadhguru”. “Many tribal people are facing various kinds of intimidation for speaking up,” said Siva.In recent years, many in India saw cracks on the otherwise calm and collected facade of Sadhguru’s much-publicised international appearances. These cracks deepen especially when he is asked about allegations of misconduct in India. Earlier this month, Sadhguru ordered his team to cut a BBC Tamil interview when the journalist asked him if his foundation violated laws. In 2018, Sadhguru told a student who questioned him about these allegations,“If I want, I can file a hundred cases against you. It’s up to you if you want to spend the next 20 years in [courts],” he said. “This is the country you are living in, I want you to know.”Sadhguru jet sets across the world campaigning to save the Earth’s soil and imparting “spiritual” wisdom. In India, environmentalists, activists and indigenous communities paint a contrasting picture of the world-famous yoga guru.
Modi’s BJP have won two consecutive terms – a first in independent Indian history – by a landslide majority. Early this month, Sadhguru met Modi and told a state media outlet that religious intolerance is exaggerated on TV news channels, and that India has been “free” of major communal violence for the last decade.“When this kind of messaging comes from a ‘guru’ or ‘saint’, that thought tends to cut across the political spectrum,” added Choudhury. Isha Foundation is ground zero of Sadhguru’s activities. In Tamil Nadu, this sprawling 150-acre empire is next to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, just on the foothills of Velliangiri mountain. Siva describes it as a region that was once unique, where elephants thrived, the vegetation was rich and diverse, and the water pristine. On its foothills now stand several structures built by the organisation.“Sadhguru plays a unique kind of role within the Hindu nationalist ideology, which is to broaden the base or public constituency of Hindu Nationalism in India.”
Legal documents accessed by VICE World News show repeated notices by forest officials in 2012, stating unauthorised constructions on elephant habitats. The foundation has always denied those accusations.
The West, however, is taken by his public image, he added. “He looks so good in such a setting. There's a long history of gurus being popular in the west,” Lang said. “But when you remove this image, everything he says falls to pieces. It’s guru mumbo-jumbo. And that’s very revealing.” Sadhguru’s statements have often been flagged by Indian commentators as making little to no sense. Currently, Sadhguru is on a 100-day motorbike mission, covering 30,000 kms on a BMW K1600 GT. Last year, BMW was fined nearly $400 million for illegally limiting the effectiveness of their emissions technology, leading to higher levels of diesel pollution. A similar faux pas was committed by Isha Foundation in 2010, when one of their environmental campaign events was sponsored by Dow Chemicals. Dow Chemicals is the multinational chemical corporation allegedly responsible for one of the worst industrial tragedies in the world that killed over 2,000 people and continues to impact generations in the Indian city of Bhopal. The foundation cancelled the campaign after activists raised concerns.“Sadhguru perfectly fits in the global greenwashing movement.”