Energy Minister, Sh. Anil Vij Questions Opposition March Against Supreme Court, Asks: Who Is the Force Bringing All Parties Together?

Chandigarh, October 15: Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Anil Vij said that protesting is a democratic right of every political party. However, the coming together of all parties under the leadership of a person with no established political background raises serious questions. He expressed apprehension that some other force seeking to create instability in the country could be behind these developments.

Vij was responding to questions from media persons here today regarding the opposition’s march against the Supreme Court.

He said that the Supreme Court and the country’s courts are completely impartial. He added that this was the first time in independent India that the opposition had taken out a march against the Supreme Court. He said the matter could amount to contempt of court, as the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of it. However, what action the court would take was entirely for the court to decide. He added that the situation had now turned into a spectacle in the country.

Questioning the opposition, Vij raised a question before the people of the country. He said that “I want to ask the people a question. A party called CJP issued a call on October 10 for a protest in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi arrived there with members of his party, Akhilesh Yadav brought members of his party, Mamata Banerjee also arrived with her party members, and the Communists brought their party workers as well. Who exactly is this CJP? It is still unclear whether it is a political party or a group of social activists. There is no established background, yet so many political parties have come together at its call. “This gives the impression that some other force is bringing all these parties together. The question is: who is that force? Is it seeking to destabilise the country, and are these parties acting as its tools? People should seek an answer to who is orchestrating these developments.”

He further said that “The right to protest in the country, and every political party has that right. We, too, have staged protests on several occasions. But who is bringing all these parties together? Why are all these parties bowing before one person when that individual has neither an established background nor a political history? This suggests that another force, hostile to the country, may be working to create instability.”

Responding to a question about a social activist who lost his life while opposing drug abuse in Punjab, Sh. Vij questioned the Bhagwant Mann-led government over the drug peddling in the state. He said that a social activist knew which shops were selling drugs, but the government appeared unaware of the situation. He asked why the government had not taken action earlier if it already knew about the problem. He further questioned the functioning of government agencies, asking why they had failed to act before the activist lost his life and why efforts had not been made earlier to prevent such incidents.

Responding to a question about Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala’s statement that the country’s middle class was bearing the brunt of inflation, Sh. Vij took a dig at him, asking what kind of yardstick he used to divide people into different categories. He said that everyone should be viewed equally, adding that Surjewala sometimes spoke about the lower-income group and at other times about the middle class, despite belonging to the upper class himself.