Nitish again castigates BJP for seeking to publicise Yoga

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday once again flayed the BJP for launching publicity campaign to promote International Yoga Day on June 21 saying that the ancient exercise regime was not a thing to publicize, but to be done in privacy.

"I have only one objection with the BJP launching an all out publicity campaign to promote yoga that it's not a thing to be done in public for publicity, but it's a fitness regime which should be done in private for one's own good health. I believe that yoga is a philosophy and way of life," he told reporters on the sidelines of Janata Durbar at the Chief Minister's official residence.

Attacking the BJP's publicity campaign for the International Yoga Day on June 21 when its national President Amit Shah will be coming to Bihar to lead a mass yoga event, Kumar said he had doubts whether the BJP really wants to promote the ancient fitness regime or achieve anything more, he said referring to the Assembly polls in Bihar later this year.

The chief minister also criticized the Centre for not including the reputed yoga centre at Munger to organize a function there to coincide with the International Yoga Day next week and said if the government was sincere about promoting yoga among the people then it should have promoted the Munger-based yoga centre too.

To a question whether yoga guru Baba Ramdev was instrumental for the global yoga meet next week, he claimed as far as he was concerned, Ramdev was a bigger business management guru than a yoga expert as he has reportedly come forward to launch Patanjali brand noodles in the market following a ban on marketing and sale of noodles being produced by Nestle India after detection of lead and MSG in the eatables.