Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today said that Surya Namaskar has many similarities to Namaz (Muslims form of prayer). He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting Yoga and making it universal. The UP CM said this while speaking during a ‘Yoga Mahotsav’ in Lucknow.
“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,” said Adityanath.
Prasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adityanath said that before 2014, even talking about Yoga was considered communal. But things changed after Modi took steps to make Yoga popular across the world.
He also shared that he was suddenly chosen for the top job. “I was called to Delhi by BJP president Amit Shah and he told me that I would have to become the chief minister. We have started doing work in the state with a positive energy. We will take big decisions in the interest of people,” he reportedly said.
Notably, Muslim bodies have termed Surya Namaskar and Yoga as anti-Islam saying their religion does not permit for such practices. After various state governments decided to make Yoga and Surya namaskar compulsory in schools last year, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had launched a nationwide campaign against it.
Meanwhile, the UP CM has also directed the police officials to change the way they work to instil a sense of safety among the public and fear among criminals. At a review meeting in Lucknow, he also stressed on making the working style of the police transparent and corruption-free.
