Chandigarh: They are now part of the same government in Haryana, but Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala and Home Minister Anil Vij will continue to battle it out in court.
Chautala had filed a defamation case against Vij for calling him a “drug addict” last year, and the Jannayak Janata Party leader is actively pursuing the case in a Hisar court. He told The Indian Express that he isn’t going to withdraw his case due to the changed political circumstances, while Vij said he would respond when summoned by the court.
None of the leaders hinted at a possible compromise. The court has fixed 7 February as the next date of hearing.
Vij, infamous for making controversial and caustic remarks about his political rivals, is a senior BJP leader, a six-time MLA from Ambala Cantonment, and the only minister in Manohar Lal Khattar’s government, apart from the CM himself, who did not lose in last month’s assembly polls. He was the health and sports minister in Khattar’s first term, but now handles the home, health and urban local bodies portfolios.
Chautala, great-grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, helped the BJP form the government after it fell short on its own, and as deputy CM, handles the revenue, excise and taxation, industries and panchayat departments.
What sparked the case
In March 2018, Chautala, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MP from Hisar, had alleged that a huge scam worth Rs 200 crore was brewing in the health department handled by Vij.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Chautala alleged kickbacks were being taken from the purchase of medicines and medical equipment, and demanded action against corrupt officials.
Vij brushed off the allegations as false after a brief inquiry, and reacted strongly to Chautala’s contentions. He told mediapersons in April that Chautala belonged to an area where drug abuse is rampant. “I think he has also started taking drugs and he should go to some de-addiction centre,” said Vij.
Within days of Vij’s statement, a peeved Chautala shot off a legal notice demanding an unconditional apology for his remarks. He denied having ever consumed any narcotics and said the minister had defamed him. When no apology was received, Chautala filed a criminal defamation complaint against Vij in July 2018 in a local court in Hisar.
Chautala and his witnesses have already got their statements recorded in the court, including preliminary evidence, but the court is yet to summon Vij. The complainant in such cases is bound to personally appear for all hearings.
The latest hearing in the case took place Friday, when Chautala sought exemption from appearing in the case. He has also not appeared in a few earlier hearings as well.
Habitual offender
The 2018 incident is not the only time Chautala and Vij have had a war of words.
In 2015, when Vij had a spat with a woman IPS officer during a grievance committee meeting in Fatehabad, Chautala had called him “sadakchhaap” (lowlife) on Twitter. Vij responded by questioning Chautala on corruption cases against his family.
There’s hardly any opposing leader who Vij has spared from his acerbic remarks, though he is considered personally upright. However Vij, a dyed-in-the-wool RSS leader, is also not liked by many of his colleagues, and his relationship with CM Khattar is also supposedly a fraught one.
Also read: Anil Vij: The banker & RSS product who puts both his feet in his mouth & loves the feeling