Cong leaders skip yoga event

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 21

Congress leaders, including Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, distanced themselves from the International Yoga Day programme that was scheduled at Guru Nanak Stadium in Amritsar. A day before, the official message was sent by the administration that Sidhu would preside over the programme.

On the other hand, BJP leaders, including party’s district president Rajesh Honey, senior leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina and former mayor Bakshi Ram Arora organised a special yoga class in Company Bagh.

Except for administrative and police officials, neither Sidhu nor any Congress leader was in sight at the state-level programme. Since morning, a huge debate originated that the Congress had deliberately skipped the occasion.

Meanwhile, Sidhu said he was supposed to attend the programme but could not due to an official meeting scheduled at the same time. “I had made special plans for celebrating Yoga Day this morning as I had engaged experts and tourism officials. But three important meetings were scheduled at the same time in Chandigarh. On CM’s directions, I had to attend the meetings,” he said.

District Congress president Jugal Kishore said Congress MLAs, leaders, including himself, were at the Chandigarh meetings. “We already had celebrated Yoga Day last Sunday at New Amritsar. Today, our priority was to attend the meetings pertaining to illegal colonies, finance, the BRTS project and development of other tourist spots in Amritsar,” he said.

On the other hand, Chhina said the Congress leaders had deliberately boycotted the occasion with the misconception that it was a programme of the BJP. “The Congress plays petty politics and misunderstood it to be a political occasion. I could not think of any such emergency that all meeting should have to be conducted on the same day and all Congress MLA and leaders were directed to attend them. Yoga originated in India. It was PM Narendra Modi’s initiative to get is acknowledged on global platform by putting up a resolution in the UNO and fixed June 21 as the international day to sensitise everyone to fitness. It was endorsed by 177 countries,” he added.