NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev was never on the Padma Awards list and his action of writing to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to opt out for the award was based only on media reports, the Home Ministry has said. A senior Home Ministry official told ET on Tuesday that Ramdev was not considered for the Padma awards this year."His name was not on the shortlist and did not feature at any earlier stage of discussions," the senior official said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had personally called up 7-8 personalities last week to inform them that they would be receiving the Padma Vibhushan Awards. "Ramdev was not among those who were called by Singh," the official said, adding that Singh did speak to Amitabh Bacchhan , LK Advani and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to inform them of the government’s decision. "Sri Sri Ravi Shankar declined it, saying someone else should be given the honour," the official said.However, an aide of Ramdev questioned why the government had never denied repeated media reports that he would be conferred with a Padma award. "There were media reports for almost a month to that effect. There was no denial or contradiction issued by the government.That meant there was something and it was natural for us to believe that he was getting a Padma award," Ramdev’s aide said on the condition of anonymity. He admitted that the Home Ministry never officially communicated anything to Ramdev regarding the award. The official spokesperson of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Surendra Tijarwala, could not be reached for a comment.An undated letter written by Ramdev to Singh was quoted by the media last Saturday, in which Ramdev said he had "learnt from media" that the government wanted to give him a Padma Vibhushan. "I thank the Centre for this... I am a sanyasi and I consider it my sacred duty to work selflessly towards my sanyas dharma, along with rashtra dharma and seva dharma. I want to request you... to confer this honour to any other great personality," Ramdev had written to Singh. "The letter was promptly faxed to the Home Ministry on Saturday," Ramdev’s aide said.