“At the time when Yoga came into existence, there was no existence of India; it was divided into factions,” Prime Minister Oli said
Clarion India
KATHMANDU — Nepal’s caretaker Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, speaking during a programme on Monday held at his residence on the occasion of International Yoga Day, claimed that Yoga originated in Nepal, adding that India wasn’t around when Yoga started in the world.
“Yoga originated in Nepal, not in India. At the time when Yoga came into existence, there was no existence of India; it was divided into factions,” caretaker Prime Minister Oli said, reports ANI.
“India that exists now wasn’t there in the past. India at that time was divided into different factions,” caretaker PM Oli said. “Divided into factions, India at that time was like a continent or sub-continent,” he added.
International Day of Yoga is celebrated on June 21 since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 as was suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his UN address.
This is the second time Mr Oli has given a controversial statement distancing itself from Indian stand. In July last year, Mr Oli had claimed that Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, is in Nepal and Lord Rama was Nepali.
He dismissed Indian claim that Hindu deity Ram was born in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. “However, in reality, Ayodhya is a village lying west of Birgunj,” Mr Oli had claimed.
(With inputs from ANI)
