NEW DELHI : India will lead 191 nations to mark the ‘International Yoga Day'(IYD) on June 21, highlighted by a mega event here on Rajpath, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today and made it clear that participation in the events was not “compulsory”.
Briefing reporters on the elaborate arrangements made by the Government for the occasion, Swaraj, who would be at the UN in New York for an event there on IYD, sought to quell controversies surrounding the events.
“I want to specifically mention that this is a voluntary programme and nobody should be forced into this,” she said.
The day will be observed in over 251 cities in 191 countries across the world and the Indian missions and diplomatic posts have made arrangements for the celebrations and other related events, she said, adding a grand event will be held on Rajpath in which over 35,000 people are expected to take part.
Swaraj noted that the apprehensions in certain sections of the minority community was due to “lack of information”.
“They (minority groups) are probably saying this because they don’t have the information. 47 members-states of Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) have not only supported the India-led resolution at the UN but are also co-sponsoring the events. It includes countries like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia which are Muslims countries that have co-sponsored this resolution,” Swaraj said. (AGENCIES)
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