This Article is From Feb 18, 2015

In Haryana, a Feedback Session After Tweet Attacks on Chief Minister

In Haryana, a Feedback Session After Tweet Attacks on Chief Minister

Haryana's Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij (in image) recently took on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Twitter.

Chandigarh:

A feedback session is planned this afternoon in Haryana, where a minister's tweet attacks on his boss, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has the opposition sniggering and the BJP's new state government rather embarrassed.

The tweeting minister is Anil Vij who has been airing his disapproval of what he calls Mr Khattar's "keen interest" in his ministries in sarcastic posts on the social media site.

"Thank You Chief Minister For Taking Keen Interest into My Departments. I am Relaxed (sic)," the 61-year-old had tweeted on Monday.

 
He hasn't tweeted since, but his recent record has the central leadership worried enough to dispatch Anil Jain, the man in charge of Haryana, to talk to party legislators and also Mr Vij and Mr Khattar separately.
 
Anil Vij is reportedly unhappy that the chief minister has made some crucial announcements on health and sports - his portfolios - without consulting him.
 
Mr Vij is a party veteran who was seen as a contender for Chief Minister when the BJP won its first majority on its own in the state last November. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked Mr Khattar, a first-time legislator with deep RSS roots.
 
There are several other top Haryana leaders who, like Mr Vij, fancied their chances and are said to be miffed that Mr Khattar was chosen to be chief minister.
 
Mr Vij denies any rift with the Chief Minister. On Twitter, he has posted disclaimers that he has named no one in his tweets.
 
But last week, soon after Mr Khattar tried to reach out by landing up at Mr Vij's Ambala home and having dinner, the minister had tweeted, "I am not in politics to push the Congress' cart." It was seen as criticism that the Khattar government is following too many policies of the previous Congress government in Haryana.
 
The Congress' Randeep Surjewala seemed delighted to observe, "A government in which there are differences between the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues cannot deliver... it's a failure of the government and the administration."
 
What does not make the BJP's task easier is the fact that Mr Vij is very popular. In a recent survey by a newspaper, he was voted Haryana's most popular minister - he polled as many votes as Mr Khattar's other ministers jointly did.

 

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