Gurugram: Haryana minister Anil Vij turned a protest by thousands of power department employees outside his residence into political theatre on Thursday, urging the workers demanding his ouster to repeat their “murdabad” slogans against him because he was “enjoying” them before stepping into the crowd to receive their memorandum.
More than 5,000 employees of Haryana state electricity utilities, mobilised by the Haryana State Electricity Board Workers’ Union, marched roughly a kilometre from Indira Park in Ambala Cantt to Vij’s Shastri Colony residence Thursday evening, jamming both the Ambala-Saha and Ambala-Delhi highways.
The energy, transport and labour minister’s convoy encountered the marching employees en route, prompting Vij to step out of his vehicle and walk alongside the protesters as they shouted slogans against the government and him personally, including “Har zor zulm ki takkar mein sangharsh hamara naara hai (In the face of every act of oppression, our slogan is struggle).”
‘Ek baar dobara lagao’
Responding to the slogans, Vij told the employees chanting slogans against him outside his residence, “Ek baar dobara lagao. Mazaa aa raha hai.”
He also improvised on the workers’ slogan, telling them to add a line, “Aur Anil Vij tumhara hai (Anil Vij is yours too)”, to “Har zor zulm ki takkar mein sangharsh hamara naara hai”.
The stand-off eventually eased when Vij accepted the union’s memorandum around 7.20 pm, about two hours after the protest began. The demonstration was formally called off by 7.30 pm following the exchange between the minister and union representatives.
Vij could not be reached for comment.
A press release issued by Vij’s media team said that the minister had already asked his office officials to prepare the relevant file and action would be taken on the workers’ demands.
Haryana State Electricity Board Workers Union state president Iqbal Chandana said the protest was directed against the state government’s policies, with employees demanding restoration of the old pension scheme, a risk allowance for all employees, a home-circle posting facility for those working away from their native districts, and scrapping of the online transfer policy.
Chandana said workers under the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam were also seeking equal pay for equal work, regularisation of their services, and implementation of an inter-utility transfer facility.
A minister known for his unpredictable style
Thursday’s episode is only the latest instance of Vij, a seven-time MLA from Ambala Cantt and one of the BJP’s most senior faces in Haryana, turning a public confrontation into a headline-grabbing defining moment.
During the first term of the Manohar Lal Khattar government, Vij confronted a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) official allegedly stationed outside his office and summoned a senior police officer to complain of being spied upon.
In 2015, as health minister, he had a public spat with then Fatehabad SP Sangeeta Kalia over her handling of a complaint regarding illegal liquor sales, ordering her out of a grievance redressal meeting. The episode saw her transferred out of the district and drew a notice from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes over his remarks to the Dalit officer.
Kalia was moved out a second time in 2018 for skipping his grievance meetings in Panipat.
More recently, in February this year, Vij was caught on camera in a heated exchange with Kaithal SP Upasana after she declined his on-the-spot order to suspend a police official accused of a Rs 7 lakh land fraud, telling him the matter fell outside her jurisdiction.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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