NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday performed yoga on the banks of the Yamuna River on the occasion of International Yoga Day, taking a swipe at former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
She said her act aimed to highlight her administration’s commitment to cleaning the river - something she alleged the AAP government failed to do despite years of promises.
Besides the CM, her ministerial colleagues, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, Mayor, and others participated in yoga sessions at various locations across the national capital. The Delhi government organised programmes at 11 prominent locations in the city to mark the occasion, with ministers, MLAs, and BJP MPs actively participating in the celebrations.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM emphasised that Yoga Day should not be seen as a one-day event but rather as a lifestyle choice. “A healthy citizen is the foundation of a prosperous nation,” she said, reiterating that turning Delhi into the health capital of the country is a shared responsibility.
On choosing the Yamuna bank as the venue, she said, “The purpose was to show people that the cleaning work of the river is underway. Yamuna is a symbol of our faith, but the previous governments ignored it. They did not work to clean it. But in the four months that we have been in power, we have made significant efforts toward its rejuvenation.”
Targeting the AAP, Gupta said the previous government chose not to celebrate Yoga Day because of its association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“If they associate yoga with Prime Minister Modi, what can we do? Tomorrow, he might leave his food too if it’s linked to the PM. After seeing the BJP government in Delhi, he left the national capital,” she remarked.
The CM also spoke about the visual impact of the celebrations, saying, “Witnessing youth perform yoga on boats under the theme ‘Yoga with Yamuna’ was deeply inspiring. Themes like ‘One Earth, One Health’ unite us with purpose.” She expressed happiness that, for the first time in decades, such a grand celebration was organised under the banner of the Delhi government with over 20,000 participants—a milestone event.
L-G and DDA Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena led a session at Baansera, a 37-acre bamboo-themed park developed as a model project for Yamuna floodplain rejuvenation. Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta took part in a yoga session at Lodhi Garden, organised by the Ayush Ministry. Education Minister Ashish Sood performed yoga at Chhatrasal Stadium and highlighted yoga’s global journey since 2014. Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh led a session at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Park, while Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa joined the celebrations in Ashok Nagar.