Nitish Kumar's Bihar stays away from Yoga Day fanfare

No official programme was organised by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on the occasion of International Yoga Day today, even as Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making yoga a "global event".

Ravishankar Prasad, Giriraj Singh, Ramkripal Yadav were among the Union ministers who led thousands of people in observing the fitness regime in separate programmes in the state today.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the yoga session at Gandhi Maidan in the state capital, Prasad, the Union communications and IT minister said organising the ancient fitness regime on a mass scale fostered unity among the people.

He also lauded the Prime Minister for making yoga a global event with hundreds of countries organising World Yoga Day celebrations.

Union Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh joined the people in participating in a yoga session at a function in Kankerbagh locality in Patna, while his ministerial colleague Ramkripal Yadav did so at Muzaffarpur.

Speaking to reporters, Giriraj Singh lashed out at Nitish Kumar government for opposing yoga on the ground that it was a publicity drive by the BJP and the NDA government at the Centre.

"I can understand your (Nitish Kumar) annoyance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but not so with yoga," he said.

Union minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ramkripal Yadav, participated in a yoga session at Muzaffarpur.