Ramdev's programme for International Yoga Day in Haridwar cancelled; sources say BJP wants event in poll-bound states

Haridwar: A proposed programme in which Ramdev was supposed to lead thousands of people in celebrations at the International Yoga Day on  21 June, on the banks of the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri has been cancelled. [caption id=“attachment_2704266” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of yoga guru Ramdev. PTI[/caption] Ramdev was to perform yogic kriyas at the event along with thousands of enthusiasts, including Bollywood celebrities, to mark the occasion which would have been the first of its kind to be held on the banks of the Ganga. The yoga programme scheduled to be led by Ramdev under the banner of the Patanjali Yogpeeth and the Ganga Sabha at Har Ki Pauri has been cancelled due to unavoidable reasons, Balkrishna, the yoga guru’s close aide told reporters. However, other programmes scheduled to mark the occasion will be held at Patanjali Yogpeeth and its affiliated wings, he added. There are speculations in political circles that the programme by Ramdev will now be held at Nanded in Maharashtra, where Assembly polls are due later this year. Sources said the venue was shifted at the request of the BJP top brass that wanted the event to be held either in Maharashtra or Haryana, both of which are poll-bound, the sources said. Ramdev had announced last week that thousands will join him at Har Ki Pauri on the International Yoga Day to perform yogic kriyas for the first time on the banks of the Ganga on a grand scale. Terming the proposed programme as “historic”, he had said that it will represent a synthesis of two important aspects of Indian culture - yoga and Ganga - both of which have a liberating effect. “Ganga is said to absolve people of their bad deeds and yoga purges their system of all ailments. These two most important aspects of Indian culture will come together in this event,” Ramdev had said.