Venkaiah Naidu sides with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, says Art of Living event ‘will bring glory to India’

Watch Video | Sri Sri Event: Clearances Pending But Delhi Police Prepares To Ensure Law & Order

He also brushed off criticism over the handling of the Indian Army for the event saying, “Unnecessary fuss abt army building pontoon bridge.In earlier regimes,several instances like Kumbh Mela,Sankranti in Nashik,Army did the same.”

The event titled ‘World Culture Festival’ organised by the Art of Living Foundation headed by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has waded into troubled waters over its location. It faces massive criticism from all quarters for allegedly flouting environmental laws by hosting the event on the floodplains of River Yamuna. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also slapped a Rs 5 crore interim fine on the organisers, accused of cutting trees and causing damage to agricultural land.

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On his part, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has maintained that not a single tree was cut and that all permissions were acquired for the event. He also told television networks that he would rather go to jail than pay the fine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of national and international leaders are scheduled to attend the event starting today. The Indian Express had earlier reported on a Delhi Police letter to the Union Urban Development Ministry in which it had warned of a “stampede”, “pandemonium” and “utter chaos” at the venue and the lack of a structural stability certificate for the stage. The CPWD, Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority — the DDA granted permission for the event — have refused to give the festival stage the mandatory structural stability certificate, police wrote to the Ministry.