Upset or not?BJP leader Anil Vij makes U-turn a day after skipping oath-taking event in Haryana

Chandigarh:

A day after he skipped the swearing-in ceremony of new chief minister Nayab Saini, senior BJP leader Anil Vij clarified that he remains with the party. “I am a believer in the BJP; things may change but I will continue to work for the party,” Vijay told reporters outside the Haryana Assembly.

Mr Vijay’s angrily exit from the BJP legislative meeting, in which Mr Saini was elected leader, sent shockwaves through Haryana politics. After the resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar and his cabinet, Nayab Saini was appointed as the Chief Minister of Haryana.

Mr Vijay was frustrated as the party ignored him and decided to promote Mr Saini. Also in 2014, when Mr Vij emerged as one of the front-runners for the chief ministership after the BJP came to power on its own in Haryana, the party chose first-time MP Khattar for the post.

When asked what happened at a meeting held by the BJP in Nivas, Haryana ahead of Mr Saini’s swearing-in ceremony, Mr Vijay avoided a direct answer and said only “batane wale batayenge”. “Those who come from Delhi will tell you,” said Mr. Vijay, who was seen storming off.

Asked if Anil Vij was upset over the development, Khattar said the leader’s name was already on the list of ministers in the new cabinet.

Khattar said there had been many incidents in the past where Mr Vij was upset about something, but then everything became normal.

Amid political turmoil, the Haryana Assembly held a special session today where the newly elected chief minister will prove his majority in a floor test. The BJP received the support of six independent MLAs, taking its number to 47, one more than the majority in the 90-member assembly. Five MLAs from Dushyant Chautala-led Janata Party (JJP) are also expected to switch to the BJP.

The change in leadership was triggered by the collapse of the alliance between the RSS and RSS.

The two parties parted ways after failing to agree on a seat-sharing alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.