Anil Vij’s war of words with CM, BJP president sparks show cause notice from party leadership

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday issued a show cause notice to Haryana minister Anil Vij for criticising chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and the party's state president Mohan Lal Badoli. In the notice written in Hindi, Mohan Lal Badoli said, “It is informed that you have recently made public statements against the party (state) president (Badoli) and the chief minister's post. These are serious allegations and are against the party's policy and internal discipline.”

He further mentioned that the notice was issued following instructions from the BJP national president and added, "We expect you to give a written explanation on this subject within 3 days." Last week, Anil Vij posted some pictures suggesting that certain "workers" seen with a “friend” of Saini had also been spotted with an Independent candidate he had defeated in the 2024 state assembly election. Anil Vij had secured a victory in the October polls from the Ambala Cantt constituency, winning for the seventh time after defeating Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara. What did the show cause notice say?
In the show cause notice, Anil Vij was informed that his actions were not only against the party’s ideology.

“Move is not only against the ideology of the party but it has also come at a time when the party was campaigning for elections in a neighbouring state (Delhi),” the notice said. It further accused Vij of making statements that could damage the party’s reputation during a crucial election period. “During election time, while holding a respected ministerial position, you have made these statements knowing that they will harm the image of the party. This is completely unacceptable,” the notice mentioned. Vij, 71, a seven-time MLA from Ambala Cantonment, has been persistently criticising Saini. However, the chief minister downplayed the controversy, asserting that the energy and transport minister was not upset and, as a senior leader, had the right to express his views.

What did Anil Vij say?

On January 31, Anil Vij criticised the lack of action against those, including officials, whom he accused of attempting to defeat him in the election. He pointed out that more than 100 days had passed since he publicly raised the issue, but no steps were taken. Taking a swipe at CM Saini, Vij said, “Since assuming office, he (Saini) has been on an 'udan khatola' (chopper). If he comes down, he will see the suffering of the people.”

On January 30, Vij expressed his frustration over officials not following his orders. He said that for the welfare of his Ambala Cantt constituents, he was willing to go on a hunger strike similar to the one led by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. Previously, Vij had demanded that Badoli step down as the state BJP chief after being named in a rape case. He argued that resigning would help uphold the "sanctity" of the party until Badoli was proven innocent in the ongoing Himachal Pradesh police investigation. Last week, six people, including the woman who had accused Badoli and singer Rocky Mittal of rape, were booked on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation. In a related development, the Himachal Pradesh Police recently submitted a cancellation report in court regarding the gangrape allegations against Badoli and Mittal. Solan Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said that the report was filed because the accusations were found to be untrue and lacked supporting evidence.

Vij was also upset with CM's post

Vij also frequently clashed with the previous BJP government in Haryana, led by M L Khattar, who is now a Union minister. When the BJP formed its first independent government in Haryana in 2014, Vij, along with leaders like Ram Bilas Sharma, was among the frontrunners for the chief minister’s post. However, the party ultimately chose Khattar, who was a first-time MLA at the time. In March 2024, Vij was reportedly unhappy with the BJP’s decision to replace Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister, as he was not consulted on the move. He later revealed that he only learned about the leadership change during a BJP MLAs' meeting in Chandigarh, where Saini’s name was announced. By September 2024, just ahead of the October Assembly elections, Vij openly stated that he would stake his claim for the chief minister’s position if the BJP returned to power.