Bill Passed to Control Brahmachari's Gurugram Ashram, Congress Protests

The Haryana Assembly on Friday passed a controversial bill to take over the management and control of late Yoga Guru Dhirendra Brahmachari's Aparna Ashram Society in Gurugram, despite strong protests from the Opposition Congress. 

The legislation aims to protect a 24-acre yoga center in Gurugram's Silokhra area (Sector 30) that has been at the center of a long-standing factional dispute since Brahmachari's death in a 1994 plane crash. 

Opposition Claims Bill Is Unconstitutional

As soon as Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh introduced the bill, senior Congress MLA BB Batra strongly opposed it, calling the move "illegal" and against constitutional provisions. 

"As the Aparna Ashram Society is registered in New Delhi, the Haryana Government has no locus standi to take over its assets," Batra argued during the session. 

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda supported his party colleague, contending that there was no need for a special bill since the state government already had existing legal provisions to take control of the ashram if necessary. 

Government Defends Takeover 

Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh defended the bill, citing a long-standing legal dispute between two factions of the society led by Laxman Chaudhary and Murali Chaudhry.

"The state government is only taking over the management of the ashram as the warring factions were involved in multiple litigations and were illegally trying to sell its 24-acre land in Gurugram, valued at hundreds of crores," he explained.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini dismissed the Congress's objections, stating that the bill did not violate any Central law. 

"The primary purpose of this Bill is to ensure that the land of the institution does not fall into the wrong hands and that its benefits continue to reach the people," Saini emphasized during the debate. 

Controversial Property Deal Triggered Action

The government's move follows a major controversy that erupted in December 2020 when a sale deed for the 24 acres in Silokhra village was registered for just Rs 55 crore, significantly below market value. 

A state government inquiry found that the land was sold to three companies at a highly undervalued price. The Gurugram Deputy Commissioner subsequently cancelled the sale deed, a decision later upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

According to the new bill, an administrator will be appointed to manage the ashram on behalf of the state government to protect its assets.

"There is every likelihood that the movable and immovable properties of the institution may get destroyed, frustrating the very purpose for which it was created," the bill stated. 

Dhirendra Brahmachari, who was once a yoga instructor to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, founded the Aparna Ashram in Gurugram, which has since become valuable real estate in the rapidly developing city.