The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has initiated a new offensive against Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena by utilising the ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ program. The party led by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that Delhi LG has denied approval for the extension of the ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ project beyond October 31. A claim, that has been categorically refuted by officials in the LG’s office who said they had not received any file seeking permission for the extension.
In a Tweet posted on November 3, Thursday, the Aam Aadmi Party claimed that they would be continuing the ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ programme ‘despite’ the Delhi LG not granting permission for the same. The post in Hindi read, “CM Arvind Kejriwal restarted yoga classes all over Delhi despite the LG not giving approval for the same. The promise made has been fulfilled.”
LG की मंज़ूरी ना मिलने के बावजूद CM @ArvindKejriwal ने पूरी दिल्ली में फिर शुरू करवाई #DilliKiYogshala 🧘🏻♀️
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 3, 2022
वादा किया था, वादा निभाया!pic.twitter.com/u5dupavyJl
In a Tweet dated Thursday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also attacked Saxena. Calling him a ‘conspirator,’ Sisodia wrote in Hindi that the public of Delhi, by continuing to participate in the yoga programme, has given a befitting response to the governor, on whose order government officials are being intimidated, threatened, and pressured to stop the yoga classes.
दिल्ली के कोने कोने में दिल्ली की योगशाला के तहत योग क्लासेज एक बार फिर शुरू हुई है। जनता उसी उत्साह और ऊर्जा से क्लासेज़ के साथ जुड़ी हुई है
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) November 3, 2022
षड्यंत्रकारियों को जनता का ये जवाब है-अधिकारियों को डराने धमकाने से जनक्रांति नहीं रुकती। @ArvindKejriwal जी जो कहते है वह कर दिखाते है pic.twitter.com/il9GJstzSO
Yesterday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) posted a video to attack the Delhi Lieutenant Governor accusing him of denying permission for free yoga classes for Delhi residents. In a video that appeared to be an effort at emotional manipulation, a yoga instructor was heard claiming that a 75-year-old Delhi resident approached her and encouraged her to tell him who he would visit and request so that these yoga classes would not be stopped.
The video was accompanied by allegations that the Delhi Lieutenant Governor has stopped the Yoga classes which is benefitting thousands of Delhi residents.
Dilli Ki Yogshala Trainer—
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 2, 2022
जब लोगों को पता चला कि दिल्ली की Yogshala बंद हो रही है, तो सब बोले कि बताएं कहां जाकर बात करनी होगी
एक Senior Citizen जो ज़्यादा move नहीं कर पाते थे वो Yoga करने लगे, वो तो रोने लगे जब उन्हें पता चला
सब जान रहे हैं कि LG साहब ने बंद करवाया है pic.twitter.com/chmCOUlqA3
The particular controversy erupted on October 31 after Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the 590 yoga classes in parks run by the Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University will be closed from November 1.
Sisodia claimed he met Saxena on October 28, seeking the continuation of the Dilli ki Yogshala programme. After the meeting, Sisodia alleged that Delhi government officials were being pressured to stop the yoga classes under the ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ program.
These allegations that the Aam Aadmi Party issued against the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, have been refuted by the office of L-G, saying that the LG office has not yet received any file seeking permission for an extension of the yoga program beyond October 31. “So it is wrong to state that the LG has not approved the extension of the program due to which it is being discontinued,” an official in the LG’s office said.
Sources in the LG Secretariat said that LG office has not yet received any file seeking permission for extension of the yoga program beyond October 31 so it is wrong to state that the LG has not approved the extension of the program due to which it is being discontinued.
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2022
Political face-off between the AAP and LG
Notably, the political spat between the AAP administration and the LG erupted in July after Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi government’s excise policy 2021-22 for alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses.
In response, a number of AAP leaders launched a series of attacks against the LG, claiming he indulged in money laundering. AAP and its leaders were accused of defaming the LG by claiming on social media and press conferences that Vinai Kumar Saxena was involved in a scam worth Rs 1400 crore.
On August 31, LG House Officials said in a statement that the Lt Governor would take legal action against a number of Aam Aadmi Party leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Jasmine Shah, among others, for highly defamatory and false allegations of corruption.
On Tuesday, September 27, the Delhi High Court passed an ad interim injunction order in favour of Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena and against Aam Aadmi Party and its five leaders in connection with a matter pertaining to their corruption allegations against him.
