Yoga day for me would be when free yoga classes start in Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said yoga day for him would be the day when free yoga classes will be started in the city again. Hitting out at Kejriwal for his remarks, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said yoga classes were stopped because of non-payment of salaries to yoga teachers.

He claimed that making "controversial statements" on auspicious occasions has become a daily routine of the Delhi chief minister. In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Tomorrow is International Day of Yoga. This day inspires us to do yoga. Two years ago, the Delhi government started free yoga classes for the people of Delhi. About 17,000 people started doing yoga every day."

"Last year, they stopped these yoga classes. Who benefits from this? Should public welfare programmes like this be stopped? Yoga day for me will be the day when I will again start free yoga classes for my Delhiites," he said. In another tweet, Kejriwal said, "God also supports you if you have good intentions. They stopped us in Delhi, we started free yoga classes in Punjab. I am glad it is getting an overwhelming support from people there."

ALSO READ | Uttar Pradesh madrassas asked to celebrate Yoga Day

Sachdeva said Kejriwal's statement shows that it has become his "habit to create controversies". "Yoga classes were stopped only because of non-payment of salaries of yoga teachers. Kejriwal himself had given a statement that if needed, he would go door to door begging but would not allow yoga classes to stop," he said.

"No one has ever stopped Kejriwal from teaching yoga. We ourselves want him to hold Yoga classes but the Kejriwal government made yoga classes a part of its propaganda," Sachdeva added. The city government launched the "Dilli ki Yogshala" initiative in December 2021 to ensure that yoga and meditation help people avoid sickness.

Kejriwal and his ministers had earlier alleged that Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had not approved the extension of the scheme after October 31, 2022. However, LG secretariat sources claimed that the office had not received any file seeking permission for the programme's extension beyond October 31. "Hence, it is wrong to say that the LG has not approved the extension," a source had maintained.