CHANDIGARH: The wings of the outspoken Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij have been clipped as Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has taken away the Criminal Investigation Department from him.
As per both websites of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and Haryana Government, CM Khattar has seventeen portfolios, including the CID, with him.
Also, any department not specifically allotted to any minister will be vested with the chief minister.
But state Home Minister Anil Vij said as per rules, the Criminal Investigation Department was still part of his ministry. "The governments are not run by websites. They are run by the rule of law," Vij said.
He said that according to the Business of the Haryana Government (Allocation) Rules, 1974, the CID department was part of the Home department. "The Rule number 5 on the page number 30 of the Business of the Haryana Government (Allocation) Rules] has clearly written that the CID is an integral part of the Home Department,’’ he said.
Vij said, "The CM is supreme and if he wishes, he can also change it. But for that, it has to be passed by the Cabinet and then later in the assembly."
In the recent past, both Vij and Khattar have been on loggerheads with each other over transfers of nine senior IPS officers thus delaying the transfers of other police officers. He had said that he was not consulted over the transfers. Khattar had met the senior party leaders in Delhi BJP national working president JP Nadda to sort the issue. But both Khttar and Vij have downplayed their differences. Khattar had said, "the issue has been sorted out, you are free to make guesses.’’
Also, Vij had recently constituted a three-member committee headed by Home Secretary Vijai Vardhan to improve the functioning of the CID. It included two DGPs KP Singh and PR Deo was members. Also a month back he had had information relating to the assembly polls from CID chief Additional DGP Anil Kumar Rao but as he had not got the information so then he had sought an explanation from Rao on the delay.
A six-time MLA from Ambala Cantonment and the senior-most saffron party leader in the state Vij was given seven departments including Home on November 14.