Playing it safe

The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal twisted, turned and then decided to play it safe while celebrating the International Yoga Day. While an official directive from the Centre made it compulsory for the state to organise an event to mark the day, neither the chief minister nor any of her senior ministers were present for the event held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. The state's sizeable Muslim population and the danger of yoga being seen as a majoritarian agenda might have something to do with the event being kept low-key. Observing it nonetheless helped maintain bonhomie with the Centre.