Ambala: Haryana minister Anil Vij on Thursday questioned the unity of opposition parties during a march against Supreme Court, alleging that unidentified forces seeking to destabilise the country could be behind their coming together. Responding to media queries in Ambala, Vij said protesting was a democratic right of every political party, but the participation of several opposition parties at the call of an individual with no established political background raised serious questions.He said Supreme Court and other courts in India were independent and impartial, adding that it was unfortunate that opposition parties had taken out a march against the apex court. He also said Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and that any action in this regard was for the court to decide. Questioning the identity and influence of the organisation or individual referred to as “CJP”, Vij said a call for a protest in Delhi on Oct 10 had brought together Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Communist parties, among others.“Who is CJP? It is not clear whether it is a political party or a social organisation, and there is no established political background. Yet, so many parties have come together at its call. Who is the force bringing them together?” he asked. Vij alleged that these parties could be acting as tools of forces seeking to create instability in the country and urged the public to seek answers about who was coordinating their actions. He reiterated that political parties had every right to protest, but questioned how an individual without an established political history could bring so many parties together.Questions Punjab govt over drug menaceReacting to the death of a social activist who had opposed the drug trade in Punjab, Vij questioned the Bhagwant Mann-led govt over the functioning of its enforcement agencies. He said that if a social activist knew which shops were selling drugs, it was surprising that the govt and its agencies were unaware of the alleged illegal trade. “If a social activist knew where drugs were being sold, why did the Bhagwant Mann government not know? And if it did know, why was action not taken earlier?” Vij asked.He questioned why the authorities had acted only after the activist lost his life and asked what the govt’s agencies had been doing before the incident. He also questioned why the alleged drug trade had not been stopped earlier.Vij takes a swipe at Surjewala over inflationCommenting on Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala’s remarks that the middle class was bearing the burden of inflation, Vij took a dig at him, questioning his approach to categorising people by economic class. He said everyone should be viewed equally, and accused Surjewala of speaking alternately about the lower and middle classes, while he himself belongs to the upper class.
