BJP bosses back Khattar, say CM will control CID levers
NEW DELHI : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’S leadership has backed Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s decision to take control of the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as it stepped in on Tuesday to iron out differences between him and state home minister Anil Vij over the issue, party functionaries aware of the developments said. Vij has been unhappy with Khattar’s decision.
The functionaries cited above said the leadership has conveyed to Vij that all the CID reports on law and order that his ministry requires will be provided to him as per the precedent, but Khattar will continue to “keep control of” the department.
Both Khattar and Vij were in Delhi to meet the party’s high command.
“Even during the Congress rule, it was the chief ministers that the CID reported to. And there will not be a situation where the home minister will be constrained to carry out his duties because an arrangement has been made for him to get the inputs he needs,” said one of the functionaries quoted above.
The leadership’s intervention came even as Vij on Tuesday asked Khattar to charge sheet and remove CID chief Anil Rao. “He has complained that the CID chief did not keep him apprised of the law and order situation. But this is now being sorted out,” said a second functionary on condition of anonymity.
The second functionary downplayed Khattar and Vij’s visit to Delhi. “There is no issue here…the chief minister was here for the election of the new president and for a meeting with the Prime Minister [Narendra Modi]. Vij was here to greet the new [BJP] president [Jagat Prakash Nadda].”
Vij opposed the move when Khattar announced his decision to retain the CID’S control, saying the agency is an integral part of the home portfolio and the allocation of business rules specify that.
“The chief minister has the authority to reallocate any department to a minister. But then a process has to be followed to do so. The governor has to issue a notification on the advice of the chief minister to reallocate a department. There is none as of now,” he told HT on Sunday.
Khattar holds 17 portfolios while Vij is in charge of health, urban local bodies, medical education, Ayush, technical education and science and technology.
HIGH COMMAND STEPS IN TO IRON OUT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CM AND STATE HOME MINISTER ANIL VIJ OVER THE ISSUE