Art of Living's World Culture Festival has faced massive criticism.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said the opposition's criticism of the World Culture Festival is irrational and habitual.
"The opposition is trying to make that into a political issue. I think it has become a fashion or habit of some parties or some persons to condemn and criticise anything associated with Hindu, Indian or Bharatiya. It's really unfortunate. There is no rational in their criticism of the World Culture Event," Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told ANI.
"They are criticising the World Culture Festival, which is aimed to bring all the nations, religions and cultures together and also to develop an in-depth understanding between all these cultures so that we can all move forward and live in peace," he added. Naidu further stated that the World Culture Festival brings prestige to India and it is a happy union of all the cultures.
Snapshot from World Culture Festival (PTI)
"Instead of appreciating, you criticise it and you try to condemn it and then say that army is also being misused. You want to cry on that issue. The army indeed has done a good job. Lakhs of people were coming to Delhi, so there was a need to have a safety and security. They are making hue and cry over it, forgetting that they did it umpteen number of times when they were in power,"he added.
Earlier, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) told Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living (AOL) foundation's to deposit Rs. 25 lakhs on Friday and the balance amount of the penalty of Rs. five crores issued for the World Culture Festival within three weeks.
The NGT had on Wednesday cleared the three-day festival on the Yamuna floodplains but rebuked the organizers and the government for failing to take enough precaution to protect the venue's ecosystem.
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