New Delhi, Dec 03, 2022, IANS

New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused the Lt. Governor of discontinuing the Yoga classes, an L-G Secretariat official said that the decision to discontinue Yoga classes taken by Board of Governors of Delhi Pharmaceutical Science & Research University (DPSRU).

"The decision to discontinue the Yogshala programme in its present form was taken by the Board of Governors (BoG) of the fully autonomous, Delhi Pharmaceutical Science & Research University (DPSRU) and the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had authorised the DPSRU BoG to take any such decision in writing," an L-G Secretariat official said on Friday.

Knowing fully well that the Yogashala programme being run by DPSRU in its present form was totally illegal and untenable as per the mandate of DPSRU, the Deputy CM 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 wrong doing, the official added.

The official added further that once the University took the decision of discontinuing the programme, the Deputy CM 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 CM Arvind Kejriwal, asking the LG to blatantly and illegally over rule the decision of the DPSRU.

The official said that the statements made by AAP leaders were totally false and deliberately misleading.

The L-G did not discontinue the Yogashala programme and upon being asked to endorse a patently illegal proposal put up by the Dy. CM and CM, he upheld the statutory position that clearly bars anyone including the L-G to infringe upon the reasonable decision of an autonomous institution.

Lt. Governor, V.K. Saxena, in his capacity as Chancellor, turned down the proposal of Dy. CM Manish Sisodia to over ride the unanimous decision of the BoG of DPSRU to discontinue the 'Dilli Ki Yogashala' programme in its present form, terming any decision to this effect on his part as 'patently illegal'.

Disposing a one-page note (not a file) sent by Sisodia, with endorsement of CM Arvind Kejriwal, Saxena has advised the Chief Minister "to explore putting into place, other ways and means including linkages with institutions that have the required expertise in Yoga and logistical and statutory capacity to ensure that Yoga is made available to the people".