Hooda asks Khattar's ministers to maintain decorum

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday condemned state's Health Minister Anil Vij's public argument with a lady IPS officer and said those holding a high position should make responsible statements and maintain a level of dignity.

"Any person who is sitting in a high position should talk responsibly whether it's a worker or a minister. A dignity should be maintained. This kind of public argument with a lady officer portrays things in the negative and it also affects the administration. The minister should be more careful and responsible especially if there is a lady officer," he told ANI here.

Meanwhile, his son and Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda dubbed Vij's public spat with the lady officer as frustration of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana Government as a result of its failure on all fronts.

"This is a very unfortunate and shameful act of the Haryana minister. Bureaucracy is an important structure of any government. Having failed on all fronts, the Khattar Government has resorted to take out their frustrations on the state bureaucracy. A glimpse of 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' could be seen when a very senior minister is seen taking out his anger and frustration on a senior lady IPS officer. This is highly condemnable," he said.

Vij had a verbal spat with Fatehabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Sangeeta Kalia on Friday after the former asked her to 'get out' of a meeting.

According to reports, Vij himself walked out of the meeting hall in the Panchayat Bhawan when Kalia refused to leave.

The ugly confrontation took place during a meeting of the District Grievances and Public Relations Committee.

Vij later told the media that he would bring the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister and the DGP. He added that he would not attend any meeting in the future where the officer is present.