Haryana CM Khattar wins a fragile victory after a tiff with Anil Vij

Anil Vij is the most well-endowed minister after Dushyant Chautala, who holds 10 departments, and Manohar Lal Khattar, who has 18

Tension between Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Anil Vij, now home minister, had been brewing for five years, with the former seen to be foisted upon the seasoned players of the state by the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

But when the floodgates opened for an all-out war, the party brass had to intervene to reach a truce. 

Though the central leadership has weighed in on behalf of Khattar, the whole episode has indicated the chief minister’s feebleness in keeping his flock in order.

According to a notification issued by the chief secretary and dated January 22, the portfolios of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the departments of personnel and training and Raj Bhawan Affairs have been allocated to the chief minister in addition to his existing portfolios.

The notification has seemingly ended the fight between Vij and Khattar. 

Their quarrel became shrill following the Assembly elections, in which the BJP could not rustle up a majority. After the party’s poor showing, Khattar’s image as an administrator was tarnished, and this gave Vij an opportunity to tilt the power scales in his favour because he was the only cabinet minister, apart from Khattar, to win election this time. The charge of the home department gave him greater heft.

After assuming the home department’s charge with a press conference, Vij made it clear that he was the new broom and referred to himself as “Gabbar”, the dacoit in Bollywood classic Sholay.

While ensuring justice for all, he said “Ab Anil Vij aa Gaya hai, ab theek rahega sab kuch (Now that Anil Vij is here, everything will be fine).”

However, Khattar, who saw this as an act of insubordination, was peeved. More so because he is insecure as the party is not happy with his performance.

On the other hand, to balance power sharing and create a strong BJP leadership, Vij was given seven departments, including home, which is usually held by the chief minister. This made Vij the most well-endowed minister after Jannayak Janata Party chief Dushyant Chautala, who holds 10 departments, and Khattar, who has 18, including the CID.

According to an intelligence department source, Vij, after assuming charge of the CID, had ordered with immediate effect stopping phone tapping, which the CID has been accused of doing for a very long time. He also asked for reports related to the Assembly elections and security. “If the CID had been under the home minister, he would have got full access to all the past investigations ordered by the chief minister and this would give him a handle to put Khattar in difficulties,” said a state government insider.

Stressing that Vij in the very first round had to eat the humble pie, sources say the CID issue has been resolved by the central leadership to convince the rank and file of the party that Khattar is the supreme leader of the state. 

“Vij is known for righting the wrongs and his intolerance of corruption. This move might have restrained him this time but he is not the one to throw in the towel so easily. We have to see when Gabbar gets back at the chief minister,” said a source close to the top leadership.

In the previous term of the BJP government in the state, Vij, a sixth-term BJP MLA, kept his animosities closeted because Khattar was considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “This time Vij is not short of opportunities because it’s a coalition government and Khattar is not as astute a politician as Vij is,” said a BJP source.

However, publicly he has accepted Khattar as the boss. “I have always maintained that the chief minister is supreme and he can take away or divide any department,” he told the media when he was asked to comment on his being stripped of the charge of the CID.

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