Yoga not programme of Modi, do it for body: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu
New Delhi, Jun 21: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Friday said people need to understand that yoga is not a programme of the government or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and they should do it for their wellbeing.
Participating in an event organised by the Ministry of Ayush and Brahma Kumaris to mark the International Day of Yoga at the iconic Red Fort here, he also recommended making yoga part of school curriculum.
Naidu appealed to everyone to make yoga a people's movement and "to understand that it's not a programme of the government or (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi".
"We should all see that it becomes a people's movement. Modi took initiative and propagated yoga across the world. But, we need to understand that yoga is for body and not because of Modi," he said.
At a time when people are encountering tremendous pressures in daily lives, there is a great need to introduce the subtle science of yoga, which everyone can use not just to achieve physical well-being, but also to lead a better life by making enlightened choices, he said.
"Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India possibly around the fifth century. We need to propagate and preserve this holistic practice by making it a part of the school curriculum as it not only ensures physical fitness and mental equilibrium but also inculcates discipline," he said.
The vice president said it's all the more necessary in the wake of changing lifestyles and growing incidence of non-communicable diseases in the country.
"The time has come that we must go back to the old ways of living. These lifestyle changes are damaging our younger generation. There's no physical activity, no spiritual activity. We are all craving for prosperity and temporary pleasure," he said.
Naidu, who arrived 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time, wore a white t-shirt with a monogram of the Ayush Ministry, pyjamas and slippers.
Organisers said around 40,000 people, including the CISF personnel deployed at the Red Fort, participated in the yoga day event.
Naidu, along with the participants, did light exercises and raj yoga that focuses on thought management.
The vice president also asked the youths not to get carried away by western food practices.
"We all have a fascination for western food. Some people call it instant food. I would like to caution... instant food means constant disease.
"Our forefathers gave us good food practices according to seasons and regions. We must get back to our old food habits and not get carried away by burgers or pizzas. Unfortunately, our children are getting swayed away by propaganda and branding by some icons," he said.
Participating in the event, Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University Firoz Bakht Ahmed said, "Some people from my religion had objected to surya namaskar. I declare that Aum is a pious word. A stands for Allah and M for Mohammad. So, there is no reason to fight."
Ahmed, the grandnephew of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, first education minister of India, also praised Modi for propagating yoga across the world.
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PM's silence on Kharge's insult by Himanta is his consent: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," he posted.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the PM, he asked, "do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
Sarma earlier hit out at Kharge, claiming that he was "speaking like a madman" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
Slamming the Congress chief, Sarma said, "Kharge is ageing and is speaking like a pagal (madman)."
