On Yoga Day, Sandeep Pandey shares stage with RSS functionary

LUCKNOW: Magsaysay awardee and national vice-president of Socialist Party (India) Sandeep Pandey was in for a surprise as he shared the stage with Dattatreya Hosabale Sah-Sarakaryavah (Joint General Secretary) of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Lucknow on the occasion of International

Yoga

Day on Tuesday. The programme was held at Shyam Vatika, Khatu Shyam temple premises (Birbal Sahni Marg, Lucknow).


As soon as the photographs of Pandey sharing the stage with Hosabale went viral on twitter, the Magsaysay awardee issued a strong rebuttal to the theories of him embracing the RSS.


Speaking to TOI, Sandeep Pandey said, “I do not need Yoga. People who do not engage themselves in hardwork require
Yoga the most. Even today, I ride a cycle. In fact 90% of the country’s population is engaged in physical labour, and do not need Yoga.” He further stated that if rest of the 10% of the country’s population starts engaging itself in physical labour, then they would not require anything else to keep themselves physically fit.


Pandey, who is also the national vice president of Socialist Party (India), said, “I never had the idea that I would be sharing the stage with Dattatreya Hosabale. And, it was after I reached the venue that I actually realized that I would be sharing the stage with him (Hosabale).”


Pandey further stated that initially he thought of giving the function a miss, but later retracted keeping in mind the commitment, which he had given to the organisers. “I was told (by the organisers) that I would be the chief guest, but, when I reached there, I found that there were numerous chief guests,” Pandey said, and added that the situation was rather strange for him.

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