bhopal

Updated: Jun 21, 2017 14:11 IST

A lot has been said about the calming powers of yoga. Well, it seemed to have calmed Madhya Pradesh agriculture minister Gaurishankar Bisen so much that he wound up sleeping through a significant part of the third International Yoga Day (IYD) function held in Chhindwara on Wednesday.

Maverick politician Bisen has often found himself making headlines for all the wrong reasons, much to the embarrassment of the ruling BJP government.

The event started off well, with Bisen performing asanas in the company of 2,000 students and other members of the public. However, barely 10 minutes passed before the minister decided that he had had enough of sitting on the ground. So he shuffled over to a sofa placed nearby, and soon fell asleep.

“I wasn’t feeling well,” Bisen told mediapersons after the event.

Meanwhile, school education minister Vijay Shah was found phubbing during another IYD function held in Khandwa district. He sat on the stage while other participants performed yoga, but did not bend a knee himself. Later, he spoke to the media on the benefits of yoga.

When the irony of the situation was pointed out to him, Shah also cited medical issues. “I was discharged from a hospital recently, and the doctor forbade me from performing yoga. And I was not fiddling with my mobile phone. I was using it to watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme,” he explained.

The IYD was observed in all the 50 districts of Madhya Pradesh. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan participated in its Bhopal leg at Lal Parade ground.