Yoga events: Centre took step to appease Muslims; says Sadhvi

Jind: Amid the government's contention that participation in June 21 events to mark International Yoga Day was not "compulsory",a Hindu Mahasabha leader in Haryana today accused the Centre of trying to appease Muslims and asserted that those opposing 'Surya Namskar' have no right to live in the country.

Sadhvi Deva Thakur, former vice president of Haryana Hindu Mahasabha, while talking to reporters, said here the Centre's approach for not making the yoga events "compulsory" was the "biggest failure" of the Narendra Modi government.

"The Muslims who are opposing the Om word and Surya Namaskar have no right to live in the country. A few people are living in India and opposing the Indian culture," she said.

She also alleged that the government has forgotten the core issues like scrapping of Article 370 (which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir), construction of Ram temple (in Ayodhya) and the acquittal of Sadhvi Pragya (a key accused in the Malegaon blasts and murder case of RSS worker Sunil Joshi).

Speaking on the Ram temple issue, Thakur said, "Neither the Supreme Court nor the government will decide on the issue. It is a matter of Hindu faith and the Hindus will decide when and where to build the temple." Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said yesterday that, "On International Yoga Day on June 21, there is no compulsion for doing Yoga. Those who want can do it and those who do not want may not..." .

Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for AYUSH, the coordinating ministry for the Yoga Day events, on June 8, said, "It is yoga and has nothing to do with religion." "The event is not a compulsory one and it has no connection with religion," Naik had said. Earlier, some organisations, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, had voiced against performance of Surya Namaskar saying it was against their faith.