May request Centre to declare Yoga Day public holiday: Naik

Both the Centre and the state governments hold multiple programmes to mark IYD, but due to no public holiday, people refrain from active participation.

Speaking ahead of the second IYD celebrations, Shripad Naik said that his ministry would consider such a demand and request Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interest of promoting a practice with multiple benefits to the masses.

 “It is not needed, nobody has demanded that. Last year, also no such demand came. But if the demand comes, I will request the Prime Minister to do so,” Naik said.

However, he said, “There is no need of a holiday but if there is a demand for that, we will request the government.” 

June 21 this year falls on Tuesday while last year, it fell on a Sunday. He also dismissed the controversy related to chanting of ‘Om’ during the event, saying that it has not been made compulsory.

“There is always some opposition whenever some good work is done. There is no opposition this year to it. We have not made it compulsory. Without OM, yoga cannot be complete. We have made those people who are opposing understand this and it seems they have understood,” he said during National Health Editors’ Conference on the theme – ‘Yoga for Holistic Health Recent Researches’ in New Delhi.