Decision to discontinue 'Yogshala' scheme was taken by DPSRU: Officials

The decision to discontinue the 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' scheme in its "present form" was taken by the Board of Governors of the fully autonomous Delhi Pharmaceutical Science & Research University (DPSRU), and statements made by AAP leaders on it were "totally false," LG Secretariat officials said on Friday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at an event held here, alleged that Lt Governor V K Saxena had "stopped" the scheme, but the "people of Delhi" ensured the scheme continued with their generosity.

His deputy Manish Sisodia also said that "they tried to stop" Yoga classes.

Officials in the LG Secretariat said the "statements made by AAP leaders were totally false and deliberately misleading".

The "decision to discontinue the 'Yogshala' programme in its present form was taken by the Board of Governors (BoG) of the fully autonomous DPSRU and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had authorised the DPSRU BoG to take any such decision in writing," the officials claimed.

Knowing fully well that the scheme being run by the DPSRU in its present form was "totally illegal and untenable as per the mandate of DPSRU", the deputy chief minister had expected the University to take the "unlawful decision of continuing the programme so that he himself and the AAP government could remain absolved of wrongdoing," they further claimed.

However, once the University took the decision of "discontinuing the programme", the deputy chief minister first "tried to steamroll it through a note, where he took the diametrically opposite position with regards to the autonomy of the University and then moved a one-page note dated 26.10.2022, endorsed by chief minister Kejriwal, asking the LG to blatantly and illegally overrule the decision of the DPSRU," a senior official alleged.

LG Secretariat officials said the Lt Governor "did not discontinue the 'Yogshala' programme and upon being asked to endorse a patently illegal proposal put up by the deputy chief minister and the chief minister, he upheld the statutory position that clearly bars anyone, including the LG to infringe upon the reasonable decision of an autonomous institution".

Sources in the government had earlier claimed that Lt Governor Saxena has not approved the extension of the scheme after October 31.

However, L-G secretariat sources have claimed that the office has not received any file seeking permission for the extension of the programme beyond October 31. Hence, it was wrong to say that the LG has not approved the extension, they added.

The Delhi chief minister had on November 1 announced that the free yoga classes being held by his government would not stop, asserting that he would not let any work stopped due to obstruction from the LG and the BJP.