School row: Vij skips yet another meeting

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Differences between two senior ministers of the Manohar Lal Khattar Cabinet — Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu and Health Minister Anil Vij — over the Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, controversy have started casting their shadow on the government functioning.

Vij, who did not attend the first meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on the retirement age of government employees headed by Capt Abhimanyu on May 8, today abstained from the second meeting also.

Abhimanyu did not comment on the reasons behind Vij’s absence, though his staff said they had informed the Health Minister’s staff about the meeting.

Vij, however, said he was busy in his health tests at the PGIMER. “I had undergone cardiac surgery five years ago. A check up was long overdue and I got an appointment from the PGIMER for today,” he said.

Vij denied that his absence from the meeting had anything to do with his differences with the Finance Department headed by Capt Abhimanyu over the controversy surrounding Rai school.

Meanwhile, The Tribune has learnt that Chief Secretary DS Dhesi will now hold an inquiry into the controversy surrounding the school.

Earlier, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had asked senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka to probe the matter, but the latter had sought orders from the Chief Secretary with powers to summon witnesses and record as provided under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952.