BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, known for courting controversies has stirred another one by demanding that those who oppose Yoga and 'Surya Namaskar' either leave the country or drown themselves in the ocean. He also has come down heavily on people, who he says are seeing Yoga and Surya Namaskar through the prism of religion.
According to reports, he made the remark while participating in a temple festival at Varanasi - the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Taking potshots at Muslims for opposing Surya Namaskar , the Ghorakhpur MP said that there were 100 countries in the world, including 40 Muslim nations, that have thrown their weight behind the International Yoga Day scheduled to be celebrated on June 21. " When they have no problems with the day, why are Indian Muslims opposing it?," he is quoted to have said.
Those, who see polarisation along communal lines in Surya Namaskar should confine themselves in a dark room , he added. " Those trying to make the sun a communal issue should stay locked in homes in the dark," he reportedly said.
Prime Minister Modi is all set to inaugurate the event at Rajpath in the national capital on June 21, in which ministers and bureaucrats are expected to take part. All over the country, yoga camps are scheduled to be held on the day.
Reports say that Muslim organisations' opposition has forced the government to drop Surya Namaskar from its itinerary on June 21. Calling it a 'Hindu religious practice', the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has demanded that the order making Surya Namaskar compulsory in schools be cancelled. It is to be recalled that Yogi Adityanath's speech during last year's Lok Sabha poll campaign received an Election Commission rebuke for inciting communal tension.