'Dilli ki Yogshala programme to be discontinued from today'

New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said the "Dilli Ki Yogshala" scheme will be discontinued from Tuesday, in what could trigger a fresh confrontation between the AAP government and the L-G.

Sources in the Arvind Kejriwal government claimed on Monday that Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has not approved the extension of the scheme after October 31.

Sources in the L-G Secretariat said the L-G's office has not received any file seeking permission for the extension of the programme beyond October 31 and hence, it is wrong to say that Saxena has not approved the extension due to which the scheme is being discontinued.

The sources said even earlier, they had not received any file and Sisodia had only written a letter demanding that the programme be continued.

"How can we consider a letter as a proposal?" one of the sources asked.

The board of governors of the Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), which runs the programme, had given its nod to the continuation of the scheme at its meeting held last week.

"The 'Dilli ki Yogshala' classes have been discontinued from tomorrow i.e. 1.11.22 via a government order. In the BoG meeting of DPSRU decision to continue the classes was taken, however Hon. L-G has not given permission yet. We will keep you informed upon further information," said a tweet from the official Twitter page of Dilli Ki Yogshala.

Tagging the tweet on the closure of the programme, Sisodia alleged in a tweet in Hindi: "The board of the university wants that the yogshala should continue for the people of Delhi, the government has also given the budget but still, an order has been issued to close the 'Yogshala of Delhi' by intimidating officers. For now, 590 yoga classes in Delhi's parks will be closed from tomorrow."

One of the sources alleged that under pressure from the L-G, officers have issued orders to suspend the programme, despite the DPSRU board's approval.

"A decision regarding the continuation and extension of the programme was taken by the DPSRU's board of governors during its 29th meeting held on October 29," the source said.

The BoG evaluated the merits of the programme and approved its extension under the DPSRU Act. The recommendation for its extension was to be placed for ratification

before the university's general council, chaired by the L-G, the source added.

All the board members were present at the meeting. According to the sources, among the agenda items, the one for the "Consideration of the Continuation of 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' as Outreach Programme of the University" was taken up during the meeting.

"There was an in-depth discussion on this agenda item, following which it was unanimously decided to extend the programme," a source said.

The matter was placed before the DPSRU's general council, headed by the L-G.