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How Chief Ministers celebrated 4th International Yoga Day

While the PM participated in his fourth straight yoga day celebration, the Chief Ministers of various states actively encouraged the people to adopt yoga and practice it daily for a fit and healthy lifestyle.

SNS | New Delhi | June 21, 2018 2:17 pm

How Chief Ministers celebrated 4th International Yoga Day

(Photo: Twitter/@CMOfficeAssam)

The 4th International Day of Yoga was observed with enthusiasm across the country with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself leading a large gathering of 50,000 yoga practitioners on Thursday at the picturesque Forest Research Institute campus in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was present on the occasion.

Read More – Yoga powerful unifying force in strife-torn world: PM Modi

While the PM participated in his fourth straight yoga day celebration, the Chief Ministers of various states actively encouraged the people to adopt yoga and practice it daily for a fit and healthy lifestyle.

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Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, participated in the yoga day celebrations at a cultural gathering in Amaravati.

“This #InternationalYogaDay let’s focus on improving our physical and mental well-being by making use of the benefits of yoga,” he tweeted.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu took part in yoga day celebrations at Arunachal Police Battalion headquarter at Itanagar. On the occasion, the BJP leader also expressed his thanks to PM Modi.

“I extend my very best wishes to everyone on the 4th #InternationalYogaDay celebration. My heartfelt thanks to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for spreading the benefits of #Yoga worldwide. @PMOIndia @narendramodi,” he wrote.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, too, participated at a yoga day event in Nagaon with hundreds of enthusiasts. At the event, the CM urged the people to practise yoga for a fit mind and body.

“I urge everybody to make Yoga a regular practise for strengthening mind and body and use it as a base to build a peaceful Assam. On this day let’s also take the pledge to get rid of superstitions from our society,” he said.

But Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not participate in the International Yoga Day celebrations. Though an ally of the NDA government at the Centre and the state, leaders from the Janata Dal (United) kept themselves away from the events held in the state. Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi participated in the state-backed event with Governor Satya Pal Malik.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh posted a tweet on the occasion highlighting the significance of yoga as a part of India’s ancient culture and its importance in the modern age as evident from its acceptance around the world. He took part at a yoga event in state capital Raipur.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who recently returned from US following treatment for an ailment, posted his message on yoga day.

“Compliments to all on #InternationalYogaDay. Yoga enlightens our mind and body, let us strive to make yoga an integral part of our lives,” he wrote on Twitter.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani performed yoga asanas at an event in Ahmedabad.

“It was such a blissful experience to participate & perform Yoga along with thousands of people in the morning of #InternationalYogaDay2018 at Ahmedabad,” he wrote on Twitter.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar took part in a yoga day event in Jhajjar where he called for making yoga a daily practise to remain healthy instead of restricting it to just one day.

“Not only is yoga a type of exercise, it is also an ancient knowledge of leading our lives in a healthy, happy and peaceful manner. This is why it has been said ‘daily yoga keeps one free from diseases throughout his life’,” he said.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur was joined by Governor Acharya Devvrat at the historic Ridge ground in Shimla for a display of yoga postures. At the ground were hundreds of schoolchildren and residents who practiced yoga.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das joined other leaders of the state and Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for a yoga demonstration at Prabhat Tara Maidan in Ranchi’s Dhurwa area.

HD Kumaraswamy, the Chief Minister of Karnataka and JD(S) leader, issued a statement on the occasion urging everyone to practise yoga for a healthy mind and body. He participated in an event at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru where hundreds performed yoga asanas. Kumaraswamy’s father, the 85-year-old former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, performed yoga at his residence in the city.

“Yoga Day provides a glimpse into India’s rich and ancient heritage… Yoga is dear to me. My family, including my father (Deve Gowda) and wife (Anita), too are ardent followers of yoga and practice it daily,” the Chief Minister said in the statement.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called for yoga to be practised every day instead of just one specific occasion. At an event held at Bhopal’s Lal Parade ground, the CM credited Baba Ramdev of helping take yoga to the masses and PM Modi elevate it to global status.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis performed yoga postures with vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP MP Babul Supriyo at Mumbai’s Bandra Reclamation. Officials of the BMC and Mumbai Police participated in the event.

At Imphal’s Khuman Lampak Indoor Stadium, Manipur CM N Biren Singh attended an event titled ‘Yoga for Harmony and Peace’. Hundreds gathered at the venue to participate in the yoga day celebrations.

V Narayanasamy, Chief Minister of Puducherry, participated in a yoga day event at beach with other officials.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje joined Baba Ramdev for a yoga session in Kota. Attended by lakhs, the event set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people performing yoga together. Reports say that over 1.05 lakh people performed yoga at the event beating previous record of 55, 524 people performing yoga set in Mysuru in 2017.

In Sikkim, Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling led hundreds of people at a special yoga camp held at Paljor stadium.

“As we celebrate International Yoga Day, 2018, it is time to remind ourselves that yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies the unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and fulfilment, harmony between man and nature – a holistic approach to health and well-being,” he said.

Tripura CM Biplab Deb participated in a huge yoga day event with yoga enthusiasts at Khumulwng Stadium in Khumulwng in West Tripura district. The event was also attended by Union Minister Anupriya Patel.

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performed yoga with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Governor Ram Naik and yoga practitioners at the Raj Bhawan in Lucknow.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted people on the occasion in a tweet.

According to reports, the Mizoram government led by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, a Congress leader, did not actively participate in yoga day celebrations in the state. While religious groups have called yoga “anti-Christian”, government officials reportedly gave conflicting reasons behind not officially observing International Yoga Day. According to Hindustan Times, churches as well as other Christian organisations have previously called for a boycott of the event because they believe yoga is a “part of Hindu philosophy”.

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