Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said his government was not responsible for calling the army for making pontoon bridges over the Yamuna river for the World Culture Festival of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living [AOL] Foudnation.

Speaking to the members of the Indian women’s press corps [IWPC] on Thursday, Kejriwal said his government had merely told the centre that more bridges were required on the Yamuna to cater to the expected rush of visitors for the event. “They sent in the army.”

He said the deployment of the army for a private function was a wrong decision taken by the Narendra Modi government.

Kejriwal however said while the WCF should have been held in a more eco-friendly venue, once cleared by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), he found no need to oppose it. “It’s a big opportunity for tourism of Delhi; participants from 155 countries are coming; 172 lawmakers from other countries are participating.”

Kejriwal is attending the festival too.

He said once the NGT had given a go-ahead to the festival, it was the responsibility of all the governmental departments to make it successful.
He however said the AOL should be made to pay for all the facilities it has been provided by the government for the event. “This is the basic principle of the PPP [public-private partnership]."