In December 2014, United Nations General Assembly declared 21th June as International Day of Yoga. The move to have a special day for yoga was supported by Over 190 countries, including 40 Islamic nations and last year the first International Yoga Day was observed across the world.
On 21st June 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed yoga at the historic Rajpath in Delhi along with 36,000 people.
Tomorrow is 2nd International Day of Yoga and PM Modi is all set to roll out the yoga mat. This year the event will be organised at the Le Corbusier-designed Capitol Complex, Chandigarh.
More than 32,000 Yoga enthusiasts are expected to take part in the event from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The duration of the event is 45 minutes and nearly Rs 8 cr are being spent on this event. Bottles of mineral water, T-shirts, lowers and Yoga mats will be provided to the participants of the event on the venue.
The security managements are being made by the local administration to manage the participants. Chandigarh police has asked for additional police force from Haryana and Punjab. Where Modi will lead the event in Chandigarh, ten ministers have been lined up to lead these programmes in various cities.
Rajnath Singh has been appointed for Lucknow, Arun Jaitley for Mumbai. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for Andhra Pradesh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikaris assigned for Kanpur. Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu for national capital Delhi while Power Minister Piyush Goyal is likely to participate in a programme with others in Raipur. Health Minister J.P. Nadda is slated to perform yoga in Ahmedabad.
Disappointments.
According to the local residents of Chandigarh, the selection process of the event was not transparent. Around 45,000 local residents registered for the event out of which only 6500 were selected. The local administration is facing criticism over the mass rejection of Yoga lovers.
They have been accused of selecting either BJP leaders, their family members or influential people.
Some sources claim that the government of Haryana pressurised some schools to provide their buses to ferry the Yoga enthusiasts. The issue was highlighted by the local media and the government had to release all the busses.
Home guards jawans were forced to work straight 26 hours without any food or water support. The sources also revealed that the SHO had warned these jawans to not to open their mouth or else they will be fired immediately.
“Jumla Day”
As if these disappointments were not enough, the Congress decided to boycott the event. The activists of the party have decided to organise ‘Jumla Day’ at sector 22 on Monday to show the resentment. The members have been asked to wear black clothes.
Chandigarh Congress President, Pradeep Chabra said,”Besides the Yoga Asanas, we will ask Narendra Modi about the promises made before the elections.People want to know the black money Asana,Vyapam Asna,Rising Prices Asanas,Malya Asana, Pulse-ration prices Asanas, petrol-diesel price asanas ,service tax asanas, Lalit Modi Asanas,Chhattisgarh Scam Asana, unemployment asana and the Asanas about the murder of democracy.”
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20 June 2016
Avni S. Singh