4th International Yoga Day: Rajnath Singh,Ram Naik,Yogi Adityanath lead Yoga Day celebrations in UP

Lucknow: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday led hundreds of yoga enthusiasts as they practiced `asanas` on the fourth edition of the International Yoga Day here.

Hundreds had flocked to the sprawling Raj Bhawan that opened its gates to commoners to participate on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering before the commencement of the yoga routines, Adityanath said that in order to remain disease free, the practice of yoga was very fruitful.

Rajnath Singh, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the international recognition accorded to yoga.

"While yoga has been there for ages, it got its rightful place on the global platform due to the efforts of our Prime Minister and now people take it seriously and have reaped its health benefits," he added. 

The senior BJP leader cleared doubts that yoga was meant only for Hindus and pointed had that been the case, it would not have been supported by 177 countries across the world, which included the world body UN and 46 Islamic nations.

Several state ministers, bureaucrats and police officers were present at the event and were seen practicing `asanas`. 

Many were found practicing yoga at 10 city parks throughout the state capital as ministers fanned out in other districts to lead the Yoga Day celebrations. Law Minister Brajesh Pathak lead the event in Bareilly. 

Secretary Ayush, Mukesh Mehsram told IANS that in all 150 participants from the Patanjali Yogpeeth; 200 from the Uttar Pradesh Naturopathy and Yoga Teachers Association; Tatwasami Yoga Institutes`s 54 and 73 from the Brahmakumari`s were participating in the event.

In December 2014, following a request from Modi, the UN General Assembly had declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, to be celebrated each year.