Ambala: Still miffed over last month’s changes in the Haryana government, former state home minister Anil Vij has said that there was no point in working with ex-chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar “when there was no faith” between them. “I have now come to my aukaat (place),” the six-time MLA told ThePrint in an exclusive interview.
One of the most senior ministers in Khattar’s government, Vij has been upset with Khattar since 12 March, when state BJP chief Nayab Singh Saini replaced the latter as CM, and has been skipping state party meetings. Vij is not part of the Saini cabinet.
Speaking to ThePrint, the former minister claimed he was “kept in the dark” about the change at the helm. He also made it clear that he would not campaign for Khattar, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Karnal.
“When he (Khattar) doesn’t have any trust in me and can’t share such an important issue (the change of CM), there is no point in working with him… I will work and confine myself to my Ambala Cantt assembly constituency,” he said.
In the interview, Vij spoke about his relationship with Khattar, his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and what he thinks of the Opposition’s allegations against the central BJP government.
‘CM’s prerogative’
Vij shares a rocky relationship with Khattar and has made his displeasure with the latter known in the past too. For instance, in November 2023, the BJP veteran, who also held the health portfolio, stopped clearing the ministry’s files claiming interference from the chief minister’s office.
This was three years after a tug-of-war over the state’s crime investigation department led the chief minister to strip him of the charge and allocate it to himself.
Referring to those instances now, Vij said that he was open to suggestions and feedback. “However, if someone tries to interfere in my work, I never tolerate that,” he said.
Soon after Saini’s swearing-in, Khattar claimed Vij “gets upset easily” and that he was asked to be part of the new cabinet. But Vij dismissed this saying no one spoke to him.
“The two CMs (Khattar and Saini) must have discussed it and taken a call. But I don’t have any problem. After all, only 15 percent of total MLAs are to be made ministers. Rest 85 remain MLAs. I’m one of 85 percent MLAs now,” he said, adding that being part of the cabinet was “always the prerogative of a CM”.
The development made him realise he was “just a small worker”, he said.
“I’m just an MLA now. I will focus on my Ambala Cantt (assembly) seat and try to get the maximum votes for the Ambala parliamentary seat candidate Banto Kataria,” Vij said.
However, he dismissed the speculation that the change at the helm just before the elections would negatively impact the BJP’s chances. The Lok Sabha elections, he said, were about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“He is our candidate for all 543 seats in the country and people will give him a huge mandate. People will vote for him for what he has done in the past 10 — the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Ayushman Bharat, the Ujjawala scheme (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana), the Balakot strikes, Chandrayaan-3, Article 370, Ram Mandir…Even if I have to sacrifice my life for him, I won’t think twice,” he said.
As for the assembly polls, he said that the party’s central leadership was well aware of the situation on the ground and would do whatever was needed to “strengthen the party”.
‘Opposition misleading people’
Vij dismissed the Opposition’s allegations that the Modi government was using the state machinery to deny them a level playing field. By making such allegations, the Opposition is misleading people, he said.
“Those who have been arrested (in such cases) had the opportunity to seek relief from the courts. But the courts have found the allegations trustworthy and denied them bail,” he said.
When pointed out that the courts were not refusing such bails on the merits of these cases but because of the Modi government’s incremental changes to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 since 2014, Vij said the Opposition, too, was part of Parliament when these amendments were made.
“The law of the land has to be obeyed by all,” he said.
However, when asked about a report in The Indian Express saying that 23 out of 25 politicians with corruption cases were given a clean chit after they joined the BJP, Vij said that he wasn’t aware of “individual cases”.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)