Ban liquor if you are serious about yoga: Nitish dares PM Modi

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday took a dig at Narendra Modi's call to celebrate World Yoga Day on June 21, saying that if the Prime Minister is so serious about yoga then he should ban liquor, at least in all the BJP-ruled states.

"Yoga's fist principle is to abstain from consumption of liquor, so if you (government) are so serious about yoga, then Prime Minister Modi should ban liquor at least in all the BJP ruled states," he said while addressing a rally here.

"Yoga is not a thing to show-off. Yoga is a thing to practise. I don't know for how many years the Prime Minister is doing yoga, but I'm practicing yoga this for several years," he said.

"But yoga's first principle is to stay away from liquor and you can't have Yoga Day and sale of liquor hand in hand," he added.

The comments of the Bihar Chief Minister came after he was targeted for the state government's decision not to observe Yoga Day.

June 21 was declared as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2014.

Over 190 countries, including 40 Islamic nations, supported the move to have a special day for yoga.

Following the prohibition on country made liquor in the state, the Bihar Government banned liquor in April, making it the fourth dry state in the country after Gujarat, Kerala and Nagaland.