Senior ministers in the NDA government today came out in full support of Art of Living's controversial cultural event on the floodplains of Yamuna river, lashing out at those criticising it and said the "Yamuna is clean, but some minds are polluted".
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the event was posing no problem to the environment and instead the venue was witnessing a smooth flow of culture.
"I saw in the media that some people are saying Yamuna is polluted. See the Yamuna, very neat, very clean, very quiet, very calm,...Only some minds are polluted. I hope that with the teachings of Guruji, their minds will also be clean, their country will be clean and the world will be clean," he said.
Union Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, "Human values are eroding, the morals are going down. Violence, obscenity, vulgarity, is increasing in certain parts of public life. We should put an end to all this.
"In spite of verbal violent reaction from some people. Don't worry about them. In every society, there will be some people like them."
A string of Union Ministers, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attended the last day of the event today. BJP national president Amit Shah too was present at the event.
"There is no pollution here, but a smooth flow of culture. There is no problem to the environment here, but here we have values and smiles. What all was said....(about the event) Whenever there is talk of culture on the banks of Yamuna, it will only be to integrate," Ravi Shankar Prasad.
"I consider myself very fortunate that I could see this historic moment. I am thankful to Guruji. Jai Gurudev," Kejriwal added.
The final day of the event also witnessed several cultural programmes, including dances from Nepal, Mongolia and Assam.
In his message through Britain's Conservative Party MP Matthew Offord, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "No man can change the world, but Sri Sri can make a good start."
He also invited Ravi Shankar at the House of Parliament in London.
"If an organisation which has been formed to restore human values, for purification of Yamuna, then how can the organisation think of degrading or polluting Yamuna. Those who think negative have negativity in their minds," Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister for Tourism, said.
