Vij-SP spat rocks Haryana Assembly

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30

Complete pandemonium prevailed in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today as the Anil Vij-Sangeeta Kalia spat dominated proceedings on the opening day of the winter session.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar backed Health Minister Vij and urged the legislators to refrain from dividing the bureaucracy on caste and gender lines to score political points. Tempers ran high and the debate touched a new low following an allegation-slanging verbal duel between Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala and Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma. Congress’ Geeta Bhukkal, who raised the issue, demanded Vij’s apology for “threatening” Dalit woman IPS officer Kalia. “We want an apology or we want his resignation. He has begun to see himself as the ‘Gabbar’ of Haryana politics,” she said.

Vij said only half-baked information was in the public domain and the SP had threatened the NGO which had complained of alleged illicit sale of liquor. However, as the Congress protested Vij’s justification, Chautala, in a bid to deflect the attention off Vij, urged Speaker Kanwarpal Gujjar to give his ruling on the adjournment motion on the “paddy scam” in Haryana instead of wasting time of a non-issue. When Bhukkal tried to keep the issue alive, Chautala said the Congress had no moral standing to take

up the Dalit cause since Congress’ Kuldeep Sharma had used casteist words against Transport Minister Krishanlal Panwar. “He (Abhay) is known to lie and a man with half his family behind bars on charges of corruption is in no position to say anything at all,” Sharma hurled back at Chautala.

Vij resumed his narration, stating that the drug and liquor menace was rampant in the areas bordering Punjab. “This NGO complained that the police failed to extend any help in stopping the illicit sale of liquor. When I asked the excise, health and the police departments to carry out joint raids, the SP asked the NGO members how they complained to me. I told her that I am the chairman and can take up any complaint. When I asked her to leave as I wanted to listen to them separately, she refused. So, I adjourned the meeting,” he said, adding that a case should be registered against the SP for threatening the NGO members.

The CM said the time of the House should not be wasted on politicising issues. “It causes me great pain. An IAS or IPS officer or, for that matter, MLAs, MPs should not be segmented into castes and gender. They are officers and elected representatives. If this is done recklessly, the entire fabric of society will tear,” he said.

Justifying Vij’s action, Khattar said he had seen the video and felt that the chairman’s word was final. “We can debate who was at fault and the use of words. However, the chairman has the last say. He was courteous enough to walk out of the meeting after the officer refused to do so. As far as Kalia goes, we have only transferred her. She has not been punished,” he added.