UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Virtually outlining the next agenda of his government, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today drew an analogy between Namaz and the Surya Namaskar, mostly practised by Hindus.

Speaking at a Yoga event here, the CM, without asking Muslims to perform Surya Namaskar, noted that it bears many similarities to the Namaz, the Muslims’ form of prayer.

“All asanas (postures) in Surya Namaskar, Pranayama activities are similar with the way Namaz is done by our Muslim brothers. But nobody ever tried to bring them together because few people were interested only in ‘bhoga’, not yoga,” Adityanath said.

The remarks made by the CM are likely to trigger a fresh debate on the matter once again. Several Muslim bodies have in the past termed Surya Namaskar as anti-Islam, arguing that religion does not permit such practices.

#Watch Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath says there are similarities between the postures of Surya Namaskar and Namaz pic.twitter.com/8DCT8KToze — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 29, 2017

Surya Namaskar me jitne aasan aate hain,usme jo Pranayam ki kriyaein hain wo Muslim bhai jo Namaz padhte hain usse milte-julte hain: UP CM pic.twitter.com/tbJkWtvRfE — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 29, 2017

After various BJP-rules state governments – Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, decided to make Surya Namaskar mandatory in schools last year, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had launched a nationwide campaign against it.

Further, the CM praised PM Narendra Modi for taking steps to make Yoga popular across the world. He said that before 2014, ‘even talking about Yoga was also considered communal’.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who was also present at the dais, praised the works of seven-day old government, saying, “Works done by the government in last seven days are visible. This is the land of Lord Ram and Krishna… ‘Ram rajya’ will be re-established in the state.”

The CM, who moved into official CM bungalow -- 5, Kalidas Marg, Lucknow today, thanked BJP president Amit Shah for giving him an opportunity to head a government which is committed to serve the poors.

“We are starting our work in the state with a positive energy. We will now hesitate from taking big decisions in the interest of people,” he said.

The CM said that he knows all the problems of the state and how they can be solved.

“Since I have stayed in UP, travelled from roads to the Parliament, begged as a sadhu on the streets, I know what diseases are affecting UP and also their treatment,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the CM had asked police officials to change the way they work to instill a sense of safety among the public and fear among criminals.

At a review meeting here yesterday, he had also stressed on making the working style of the police transparent and corruption-free. The Chief Minister directed police officials to prepare an elaborate work plan at the earliest and ensure that good policing is put in place. He also laid emphasis on field visits to know the ground reality.

Fight against Coronavirus: Full coverage