Panaji, April 26 (IANS) Surya Namaskar is a good exercise but a dubious non-government organisation (NGO) is trying to start a communal controversy by claiming that it is against a minority religion, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Friday.
Parrikar said this while launching a government website at a ceremony held in the state secretariat.
"There are health and physical benefits from Surya Namaskar. People from all religions used to look at sun with respect and they did this exercise because it brings light," Parrikar said.
The chief minister said that a dubious NGO, which did not even have a registered addresses, tried to inflame a controversy last month after a Surya Namaskar programme was introduced for school students here.
"But the moment I said that the Surya Namaskar programme was started by the central government, the controversy died down. Suddenly, Surya Namaskar became secular," Parrikar said.