BJP to hold Yoga Day event in madarsas and dargahs

With BJP running a month-long public outreach campaign in the state as part of its preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, the party has decided to organise Yoga Day programmes at all shakti kendra units in every Lok Sabha constituency on June 21.

“Under the same campaign, BJP state Alpsankyak Morcha (minority wing) has decided to celebrate Yoga Day at 900 places, including madarsas and dargahs. Students of respective madarsas will participate in the progrmme on its campus,” said Kunwar Basit Ali, the state unit president of BJP’s minority wing. He said party leaders will visit madarasas and dargahs to appeal to students, teachers and followers to participate in Yoga Day programme.
Ali said that event will be organised at those dargahs that have available open space with a surrounding boundary wall so that people can comfortably perform yoga.

He added that the party will arrange instructors and yoga mats for the programme, adding the list of places will be finalised by June 15.

On choosing dargahs and madarsas for the Yoga Day event, Ali said that young students visit the madarsas and devout followers regularly visit dargahs in large numbers. “It has been seen that yoga is practised in Muslim countries too. But in India, a large section of Muslims still maintains a distance from yoga because they connect it with one particular religion and the BJP. The objective of the programme is to make them aware that yoga should be practised by everyone for better health,” Ali said.

However, sources said that the objective of the programme is to also connect Muslims with the BJP. “When workers of the BJP minority wing will meet students in madarsas and followers of the dargah, they will also tell what the BJP government has done for the community. How Muslims have got benefits from all the government schemes without any discrimination. This programme will bring Muslims closure to the BJP,” said another party leader.