Anil Vij alleges ‘interference’ by CMO officials, say sources; CM says issue will be resolved soon

Chandigarh, Nov 23 (PTI) Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij has expressed displeasure over interference in his department by officials of the Chief Minister’s Office and has stopped clearing files for the last one month, sources said.

When asked about it, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said he has spoken to Vij on the matter, and added that the matter would be resolved soon.

Vij is learnt to have taken exception to a senior officer of the CMO who held a review meeting of the health department last month without his presence and without informing him about it.

Vij, who also holds the home department, had later conveyed his displeasure to Khattar about it.

He had also not attended a regional conference on AYUSH in Panchkula which was held earlier this month.

Addressing a press conference here, Khattar said it is an 'internal issue' and that he would not elaborate on it further.

'I called him and spoke with him. Sometimes there are issues in administration... It is an internal issue. To elaborate on it here is not in the interest of the system. The issue shall be resolved soon,' said Khattar.

Notably, this is not for the first time that Vij has expressed displeasure on such matters.

In August, Vij had denied having any intelligence input on a possible build-up of tension in Nuh which witnessed communal violence, and had said that Khattar could give updates on the issue given he has 'all the information'.

Nearly three years ago, after a tug-of-war with Khattar over the control of CID, Vij was stripped of charge of the department, and was later allocated to the chief minister.

Vij, a six-time MLA, had then maintained that the chief minister was supreme and he could take away or divide any department.

Over a year and a half back, when Khattar expanded his cabinet, Vij was divested of the urban local bodies department, which was given to BJP's Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta.

In February 2015, less than three months after the BJP came to power in Haryana for the first time on its own, Vij -- who then held the health and sports department -- had taken a veiled dig at Khattar on X, posting, 'Thank you chief minister for taking a keen interest in my departments. I'm relaxed.' Vij was then apparently upset with Khattar who had launched a number of programmes and schemes pertaining to departments handled by him.

Vij was among the frontrunners for the chief minister's post after BJP's win in the 2014 Haryana assembly polls. Khattar, then a first-time MLA, had emerged as the party's choice for the top post. PTI SUN VSD SKY SKY