Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is scheduled to attend a 10-day vipassana meditation course in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Wednesday when he was supposed to face the Enforcement Directorate has set off a political slugfest.
Earlier, Kejriwal was asked by the probe agency to appear before it on December 21 for his alleged role in a money laundering case about the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
The Delhi Chief Minister's skipping of the ED summons in favour of Vipassana, which is an ancient Indian meditation technique in which practitioners abstain from any communication, either by talking or via gestures, for an extended period to restore their mental well-being; has evoked a reaction from the BJP which said Kejriwal's move is nothing but a pretext to avoid the ED grilling.
"Vipassana is an excuse to hide from reality. He aims to delay the ED investigation by doing so," said BJP Delhi state president Virendraa Sachdeva.
When asked AAP MP Raghav Chadha said the Delhi Chief Minister's Vipassana meditation camp had been scheduled in advance and legal advice was being taken from lawyers. He added that a response would be given to the ED accordingly.
Kejriwal enrolled himself for the course at a centre, called ‘Dhamma Dhaja’ (flag of dharma), which offers courses in vipassana meditation, as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. It caters to the overflow of candidates who apply to the Dhamma Sikhara Vipassana Himachal Meditation Centre in Dharamshala.
This is the first time that the Delhi chief minister has chosen a Punjab Centre for his vipassana getaways. In the past, he has attended similar courses in Bengaluru, Jaipur and Nagpur.
Kejriwal was summoned for the second time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case. The 10-day introductory course will come to an end on December 31.
What is Vipassana?
Vipassana meditation involves sitting and meditating continuously for about seven days. During this time, one has to follow a strict regimen like keeping silent, not talking too much, and not keeping in contact with the outside world. In December 2022, he went for Vipassana meditation. According to CM Kejriwal, he took heart from Lord Buddha's timeless knowledge several hundred years ago. "If one has not done Vipassana, then do it once. It is very beneficial mentally, physically and spiritually,"
Kejriwal has said.
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