Haryana Home and Health Minister Anil Vij, who is known for his controversial statements, on Wednesday stirred a hornet’s nest by accusing some officers of creating hurdles in works related to his Departments in an attempt to create a wedge between him and the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
In a statement issued here, Vij said, “Some officers are obstructing my departmental works to please the Hon’ble Chief Minister keeping in mind as if myself and CM are against each other. They are very badly mistaken. Me and Hon’ble CM are good friends.”
“Officers playing this dirty game will have to suffer heavily for this,” he said, in a warning to senior officers.
Vij’s statement shows that “all is not well” in the BJP-JJP Government in Haryana. It is well known that tension between the Chief Minister and Vij had been brewing since the first term of BJP Government in the state and the two senior BJP leaders have locked horns over several issues.
Vij, who is the most vocal member of the state cabinet, holds the portfolios of Home, Health, Ayush, Medical Education and Research, Urban Local Bodies, Technical Education, Science and Technology.
While the Minister reached Panchkula on Wednesday afternoon to attend a meeting, he avoided talking to the media over the issue.
Even though Vij did not reveal names of any senior officers in his statement, it is learnt that he is not happy with the functioning of some officers in the Chief Minister’s office and also the functioning of the Home Department. The Home Minister has several times expressed concern over the allotment of both key departments of Home and Health to one officer. IAS Rajeev Arora is currently holding the charge of Additional Chief Secretary Home and Health Department.
Vij had in the past written a letter to the CM suggesting that one charge be taken away and given to another office to ensure effective functioning of both departments.
It is also learnt that irked over the non-compliance of orders sent to senior police officers in the state, Vij recently wrote a letter to Arora over the issue. He has expressed unhappiness over how several complaints received from the general public related to the Police Department are still pending and even after reminders, police officers continue to fail to act upon it.
After Anil Vij’s latest statement on Wednesday, the corridors of power in Haryana were abuzz with discussions of powerful bureaucracy and also, the speculations of tussle between the Chief Minister and him. There have been several instances in the past when the Ministers and MLAs in the state have complained how the officers do not listen to them.
Apart from this, the differences between Vij and Khattar are nothing new and the fissures began to emerge soon after the second tenure of BJP Government commenced in Haryana in 2019.
Last year, both were engaged in a tussle over the control of CID, which was dissociated from Police and took over by the Chief Minister. Their difference of opinion over the extension of DGP Manoj Yadava also made headlines recently.
The Home Minister was reportedly not happy with Yadava continuing as the state police chief however, it was Khattar’s decision which prevailed and Yadava continued on DGP’s chair. Yadava had last month sought premature repatriation to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) citing career considerations and family requirements and the request has been accepted by the State Government.
Meanwhile, Vij’s statement has also attracted sharp reactions from the leaders of Congress and Indian National Lok Dal, who took pot-shots at him and asked him to take care of Home Department and Urban Local Bodies as crime rate is increasing in the state and the monsoon season's heavy showers, have exposed the tall claims about the preparations made by authorities.