The ongoing feud between the two Cabinet Ministers in the Manohar lal led Haryana Government over Sonepat based Moti lal Nehru School of Sports (MNSS) has escalated further.
In the ongoing tussle between Haryana Sports Minister Anil Vij and Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu over the misappropriation of funds in MNSS at Rai, Vij on Friday lashed out at the Finance Minister asking him not to intervene in other departments.
Anil Vij, while talking to the mediapersons in Ambala said the issue of Rai Sports school is serious and the DGP has already been asked to take appropriate action in the issue.
The Finance Minister should not intervene in other departments, Vij told Capt. Abhimanyu.
Taking a strong exception to the media reports on audit of MNSS, the Sports Minister said the Finance Department should stop leaking the audit report to the media.
The two Cabinet Ministers in Haryana Government have been at loggerheads since the special audit team took away records of the sports schools during the audit procedure being conducted in the premises.
Anil Vij had earlier ordered that an FIR should be registered against Finance Department officials for taking away audit documents from the institute. Director of the school and senior IPS officer Bharti Arora had also written to the Sonepat SP, seeking registration of FIR against audit officials.
Vij had also written to Chief Minister Manohar lal seeking his intervention into the issue and a high-level inquiry from a senior IAS. The Sports Minister had also asked that the interference of concerned ministry (Finance) may be stopped immediately into the issue of Sports school, Rai.
The audit of the school from the period of April 1, 2015, and January 1, 2017 has pointed towards alleged fraudulent payments, embezzlement and misappropriation of Government funds.
While Capt. Abhimanyu has so far chosen to remain silent on the issue, Anil Vij has time and again raised questions on the audit exercise conducted by a special team of Finance Department earlier this year.
Besides corruption in the school premises, the simmering differences between the two Ministers is spelling trouble for the Chief Minister, who is already under severe criticism for deteriorating law and order situation in Haryana and for not delivering on his promises of good governance.
Speaking on the issue, the Chief Minister, while talking to the mediapersons in Bhiwani, said the Chief Secretary had been directed to conduct investigation into the matter of Rai Sports School.
Action would be taken against whoever is found guilty, he added.
Notably, acting on a complaint by school Director Principal Bharti Arora against the Finance Department, the State Government had decided to get an inquiry done by senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka however the probe is yet to begin.
The opposition-Congress and INlD-have also demanded an inquiry into the financial irregularities in Rai Sports School.
The Congress has demanded a CBI inquiry into the working of Motilal Nehru School of Sports. Jaiveer Dahiya, Congress MlA from Rai, while questioning Haryana Government’s ‘zero toleration’ against corruption said that a CBI inquiry should be conducted into this to bring forth the truth.