Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday cautioned that the Bihar election outcome was ‘ashubh’ (ominous) for the country, claiming caste politics triumphed over India’s unity, integrity and development in the eastern State.
“Bihar chunav mein jaatiwadi rajneeti jeet gayee aur ekta akhandta vikas haar gaya. Desh key liyee bahut ashubh hein! Savdhan! (In Bihar polls, caste politics won and unity, integrity and development got defeated... It's very ominous for the country. Caution!),” the Haryana Health Minister and five-time BJP legislator from Ambala Cantt, Anil Vij tweeted on Tuesday.
The Grand Alliance of Janata Dal (United) or the JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress routed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to score a landslide two-third majority in the Bihar Assembly giving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a third term in office in a battle in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi staked everything.
The newly-formed JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance secured 178 seats in the 243-member House and RJD emerged the leader of the pack with 80 seats while JD(U) bagged 71. Congress also made impressive gains winning 27 seats out of 41 in the poll.
Anil Vij is a senior Minister in the BJP Government in Haryana, which was formed after the party came to power for the first time in State’s nearly five-decade history wresting power from the Congress in the polls in October last year.
He is the most active of all Haryana Ministers and quite popular with his action-oriented style of functioning and speaking out openly what is on his mind.
Vij has more than ten thousand followers on Twitter and is well-known for his no-holds barred comments on the micro-blogging website and otherwise, including on his own Government and colleagues.
In the last few months, he has even left his own Government and Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar embarrassed with his comments.
Recently, the Minister had asked the Centre to declare cow as national animal and even begun an online poll on whether the bovine should replace Royal Bengal Tiger as national animal.
He has reasoned that the cow needs protection as the tiger can protect itself.
In July, Vij took the Twitter route to express his displeasure over the State Government bypassing him and appointing Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra as the State's brand ambassador for ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign.
“I do not have any information of anybody appointed Brand Ambassador of my department for Beti Bachao programme,” he had then tweeted.
In another tweet in February this year, Vij had said, “Thank You Chief Minister For Taking Keen Interest into My Departments. I am Relaxed." The Minister was apparently upset with Khattar showing interest in departments handled by him.