Adityanath says surya namaskar is like namaz, can’t be communal

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday questioned the rationale behind terming yoga as communal when many postures of the surya namaskar closely resemble that of the ‘Namaz’ carried out by Muslims.

Addressing a large gathering at the Yoga Mahotsav, organised by the Patanjali Peeth at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan on Wednesday, Adityanath said: “If this event was organised before 2014, its organisers would have been dubbed communal. That was just because of certain people with a negative mindset.”

The chief minister accused certain people of playing politics over yoga, despite its secular nature. “Everyone knows that surya namaskar postures are similar to that of namaz, but troublemakers give it a communal hue,” he said.

Adityanath added, “While yoga caters to your all-round health and well-being, exercise focuses merely on the physical aspect. People who prefer physical exercises become absentminded as they age, but yogis always remain alert...” he added.

The chief minister vowed to follow in Modi’s footsteps, and not hesitate to take tough decisions that would benefit the state’s 22-crore population.

Adityanath said Modi had given him UP in an age where people don’t even give bhiksha (alms) to saints.

“When Amit Shah told me to take over the state, I had only one set of clothes with me. I was confused whether to accept it or not. However, not accepting the responsibility would have been akin to having an escapist attitude. So, I decided to think positive, and took it up,” he said.

He also rued the fact that India had no university in the global top 100 list.

“But things are changing now. Modi injected national pride in every individual, and you can see over 192 countries celebrating World Yoga Day now,” he said.