With Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's approval still awaited, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced the free yoga classes being conducted by his government would not stop and asserted that he was ready to beg before the people of Delhi to ensure that the scheme continued.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal also showed the 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' scheme file and said his deputy Manish Sisodia had signed it on October 26 and it would have been sent to the Lieutenant Governor the same or the next day.
Sources in Saxena's office said no file regarding the scheme had been received from the government so far.
"There were 17,000 people attending these classes at 590 sites daily. Of these 17,000 people, a large share, around 10,000-11,000, was constituted by those suffering from post-Covid symptoms," Kejriwal said.
Asserting that the government intended to scale up the programme exponentially, he said "certain forces have got together to conspire against Delhi's wellbeing by stopping this programme".
"These people have forcefully suspended the free yoga classes. This is why the free yoga classes did not take place in Delhi today (Tuesday). Patients suffering from lung ailments, post-Covid complications were left hanging. How can someone have a problem with yoga of all things in the world? How can you make yoga a victim of your petty politics? Is this the level of your intoxication of power?" Kejriwal said.
The chief minister also announced that these free yoga classes would not be discontinued.
"Yoga won't be stopped at any cost. These people may be blinded with power, they may be misusing the law, they may be threatening our officers, they may draw back the support of the administration from the elected government but the 2 crore citizens of Delhi are standing against them," he said.
Asserting that the 2 crore citizens of Delhi would ensure that the yoga classes continued, he appealed to all the teachers to go and take the classes as they were doing earlier.
"Even if I have to carry a begging bowl in my hands and go to every doorstep asking for alms to support this programme, I will. Even if I have to beg at every corner of Delhi, I will, but I will pay every single yoga teacher. Your charges will be taken care of, it is my responsibility now," he said.
Kejriwal also said the public was miffed over the discontinuation of the classes.
"Several teachers called me and asked me not to stop the classes. They said they'd go to the parks and teach yoga to the public on their own without any payment from the government but won't let the yoga mass-movement stop. I got calls from many well-meaning citizens from across the nation, they said they'd donate money to pool in funds to pay the teachers and asked me not to stop the classes," he said.
Stating his vision to make yoga a mass movement, Kejriwal noted that it won't become one with only 17,000 beneficiaries, but with 17 lakh beneficiaries.
"I am confident that one day all 2 crore Delhiites will be taught yoga under the programme. The roots of this movement will go far beyond Delhi now. I had a word with Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann over this, we will teach yoga to 3 crore citizens of Punjab soon. If we form a government in Gujarat, we'll teach yoga for free there too. I wholeheartedly believe that there will soon be a day where we'd be able to teach yoga to 130 crore Indians for free," he said.
The Dilli Ki Yogshala programme was started in December 2021 to provide free yoga classes to Delhiites.
Under the programme, the Delhi government sends a yoga teacher to a park or a community space for free if 25 people or more people take classes together.
