Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on expectef lines maintained his distance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's favourite Yoga diwas on Thursday even as his several Ministers, all from BJP including Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi did the yoga at public places amid pomp and show. Governor Satyapal Malik too did some exercise at Raj Bhavan in the company of Modi, Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ram Kripal Yadav and some Bihar Ministers.
This is the first time Yoga Diwas was organized in Bihar with the involvement of Government. Special arrangements had been made by departments of health and art and culture, both headed by BJP Ministers, at Patliputra sports complex.
Since the beginning of yoga Diwas from2015 only the BJP men had been holding yoga sessions at public places and Nitish Kumar disliking the practice. But it had happened when he had no truck with the BJP. However on Thursday not only Nitish but all the Ministers and leaders of JD(U) avoided yoga.
Nitish had said after last year's Yoga Diwas that he was not against the physical exercise but it was a personal matter for him and he was against showing his asan in public. The CM then had also made fun of the asans of PM Modi and other top leaders of the BJP.
The non participation of Nitish and leaders of his party gave opposition a chance to tease the ruling alliance in Bihar. Manoj Jha of RJD said yoga has been made a tamasha while Congress state president Kaukab Qadri said it was only an attempt to divert public attention from major issues.