Yoga day: Does Rahul Gandhi know ‘Modi asanas’?

How about a yoga dangal (duel) between the two netas, before Modi and Rahul actually take part in the much-delayed debate over various issues of national importance?

New Delhi, June 21: Editor to reporter: Hello, have you done yoga?

Reporter: No, Sir!

Editor (faking anger): Why? Don't you know today is the International Yoga Day!

Reporter (slightly confused): Hmmm...yes, but Rahul is also skipping yoga, naa...

Editor (trying to be cheeky): That is why he is not our Prime Minister!

***

This was a short, healthy and yogic conversation from inside a newsroom that was busy writing and tweeting about each and every asana (pose) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) colleagues during the fourth International Yoga Day celebrated on Thursday.

PM Modi, who is credited with popularising yoga across the world, led close to 50,000 people in Dehradun, Uttarakhand to mark the Yoga Day celebrations. Several of his cabinet colleagues attended similar yoga events across the country and showed their hold over various asanas.

But missing in action was Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who did not even tweet a single line on the Yoga Day. Perhaps, he is little jealous of yoga being always associated with Modi, who everyday practices asanas early in the morning? Or, Rahul is not at all fitness freak?

Just jog your memory a bit. Remember in November last year, the Congress party's official Twitter handle retweeted photos of Rahul practising Aikido with renowned instructor Paritos Kar?

Last year, during an interaction with boxer Vijender Singh, Rahul revealed that he is a sports aficionado--he runs, swims, gyms and also holds a black belt in Japanese martial art Aikido.

The pictures of Rahul, otherwise shy to reveal about his personal life, were made public with a "purpose". Definitely, the pictures were a proof of Rahul's hold over the Japanese martial art. At the same time, the Congress wanted to show the world that their leader is also as energetic, macho and tough like the BJP's "56-inch" PM.

Rahul's Aikido practicing pictures, where he was dressed in a traditional keikogi (uniform) with a black obi (belt) tied around his waist, went viral on social media. While his fans were impressed with his skills of tossing his sparring partner to the mate, Rahul's critics and opponents trolled him.

However, we have come to know that Rahul is not only an expert in Aikido, but he and his mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi regularly practice yoga. This piece of information has been shared by none other than Baba Ramdev.

Speaking to ABP News recently, the yoga guru said that Rahul and Sonia practiced yoga regularly. He also said that Rahul and he were on "friendly terms", although the yoga guru-turned-business tycoon had promised to support the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

See, Rahul, who many are hoping to become the next PM if the Congress gets the mandate in the 2019 polls, has one skill similar to Modi. Both are yogis (we mean, one who practices yoga and not Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath) and they want to be the PM (Modi wants to repeat his 2014 victory) in 2019.

How about a yoga dangal (duel) between the two netas, before Modi and Rahul actually take part in the much-delayed debate over various issues of national importance? This is something the voters can wish for on the special yoga day. Isn't it?

First, let's talk about yoga and fitness, then we can deal with hike in fuel prices, rise in rapes, increase in mob lynching, farmer suicide, lack of jobs, rise in communalism, to name a few problems.

Meanwhile, why is Rahul shying away from posting his #FitnessChallenge video on social media like Modi did a few days ago? Apparently, Rahul was caught calling Modi's #FitnessChallenge video "bizarre". Watch it yourself (once again) and decide if Rahul is right or not: