Participation of officers in the 3-day state-level yoga training programme that concluded today was not compulsory, senior Haryana Minister Anil Vij said, a day after Chief Secretary's communication asking top bureaucrats to turn up for the event which had led to unease in the officialdom.
"As far as this programme in Panchkula was concerned, this was just to give knowledge of Yoga and also to make everyone familiar in protocol of the programme, which will be organised on June 21 in Chandigarh.
"This was a government programme, not a RSS programme. The Ayush Department organised this. No party was organising this. I do agree that many officers attended it, but there was no compulsion," Vij told reporters.
He said the Chief Secretary's communication "was only for information of the officers".
He was asked to comment on the letter sent to 21 Additional Chief Secretaries and 15 Principal Secretaries yesterday from the office of Director, AYUSH, Haryana, on behalf of the Chief Secretary D S Dhesi, which stated that he had desired that these officers are expected to join the Yoga training camp conducted by Haryana's brand ambassador for promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda, Ramdev, in Panchkula.
"We have specifically organised this programme for MLAs, Ministers, MPs, IPS, IAS officers, Judges, High Court Bar Association, and others, but there was no compulsion to attend," Vij stated.
"This was not an RSS programme. This was part of a national programme, rather international level programme (Yoga Day function on June 21). We are proud that this year, the International Yoga Day programme on June 21 is being celebrated in State capital Chandigarh. The programme which was organised for three days in Panchkula was also part of it," the state Health Minister said.
After the Chief Secretary's communication, some senior officers reportedly had said on condition of anonymity that they had been reduced to "RSS stooges" and were being forced to attend Yoga training classes at 5 in the morning.
One officer had reportedly said that they were not there to forward the agenda of any particular party and they were serving the Union Government.
Vij said even today many senior officers attended the Yoga camp in Panchkula, where Yoga Guru Ramdev and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar were present.
"Besides the Chief Secretary, senior bureaucrats including Ram Niwas, Dheera Khandelwal and P K Mahapatra were there," the minister said.
Many Ministers, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, MLAs and others attended the Yoga camp in Panchkula, which concluded today.
The Prime Minister himself would perform Yoga with more than 31,000 participants at Capitol Complex, Chandigarh on June 21, Vij said, adding as many as 10,500 participants from Haryana would participate in the programme.
