The event was held on a large-scale and lakhs of students participated though there was criticism from minorities including Christian and Muslim groups.
The Darul Ifta Bhopal had issued a Fatwa, which termed Surya Namaskar or bowing before sun as un-Islamic and against the tenets of the religion. The Christian groups have also criticised the move and said that it was wrong to hold such events in schools.
But the BJP leaders have played down the controversy. They said that it was voluntary and no one was forced to do it. Congress termed the move as the ongoing Saffron agenda at the behest of RSS that included introduction of Gita chapters in school textbooks and similar other steps.
