'Those against Surya Namaskar should quit Indi

Firebrand saffron leader and BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath, asked all those who oppose surya namaskar to either quit India or jump into the sea.

Speaking at a function on Monday evening in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, Adityanath said that surya namaskar was a purely yogic exercise and had nothing to with any community or religion. “Those who find it communal should leave India.....they should either jump into the sea of confine themselves to a dark cell.....the opposition only indicates their lack of knowledge,” he said and vowed to make the forthcoming programmes on yoga and surya namaskar a big success.

“How can paying respect to the sun be termed as communal?....Those who find it communal should stop taking light of the sun and live in a dark cell,” he added. The Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders sharply criticised the remark. “It is an attempt to foment communal divide....action should be taken against such leaders,” said SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary.

A few days ago, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had expressed concern over what they said were attempts to impose “un-Islamic” acts on Muslims and felt that there was a “sense of fear” within the community.

“There should not be any attempt to force Muslims to accept something which is un-Islamic...We cannot under any circumstances accept surya namaskar in schools...Muslims only bow their heads before the almighty,” AIMPLB had stated.