Gurugram: Haryana minister for energy, transport and labour Anil Vij has once again launched an attack on his own government led by Nayab Singh Saini and demanded state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli’s resignation over the gang rape allegations against him.
On Monday morning, Vij posted a message on X hinting that those close to CM Saini may have supported his opponent in last year’s assembly polls, Chitra Sarwara, an independent candidate who finished second after him at Ambala Cantt.
“Ashish Tayal, who claims to be a close friend of Nayab Saini, has numerous pictures with him on Facebook. The same workers who were seen with Ashish Tayal during the assembly elections are also seen with Chitra Sarwara, the rival candidate of the BJP. What should this relationship be called (ye rishta kya kehlata hai)? If Tayal is still a close friend of Nayab Saini, then the question arises—who orchestrated the opposition to the BJP candidate?” he wrote.
आशीष तायल जो खुद को नायब सैनी का मित्र बताते हैं उनकी फ़ेसबुक पर नायब सैनी के साथ अनेकों चित्र मौजूद हैं। आशीष तायल के साथ विधानसभा चुनाव के दौरान जो कार्यकर्ता नजर आ रहे हैं वही कार्यकर्ता चित्रा सरवारा भाजपा की विरोधी उम्मीदवार के साथ भी नजर आ रहे हैं।
ये रिश्ता क्या कहलाता… pic.twitter.com/xCqEl1znw8— Anil Vij Minister Haryana, India (@anilvijminister) February 3, 2025
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Speaking to journalists in Sonipat’s Gohana Sunday, Vij, in a question on Badoli, apparently aimed at the party leadership, asked how someone accused of gangrape could hold meetings with women in the party.
A fortnight ago too, he had urged Badoli to resign as state BJP president till the Himachal Police concluded its investigation. He had further remarked that the allegations against Badoli, who is from Sonipat and a former MLA from Rai, were “very serious” and that he was sure the BJP high command would soon take some action.
“How can someone accused under IPC Section 376D (rape of a woman by more than one person) hold meetings with women?” Vij said Sunday.
He added, “Now, we cannot say that women are banned from BJP. In fact, we are increasing their representation by 30 percent. In such a situation, someone accused under Section 376D cannot remain state president.”
Vij further said: “Even our senior leaders have faced allegations. L.K. Advani was accused once (in hawala diary case), and he resigned immediately. Mohan Lal Badoli is not bigger than Advani. He should resign. This is my firm belief that to maintain the party’s purity and principles, Badoli must step down immediately—whether he accepts it or not is up to him.”
Asked about his recent diatribes against Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the Haryana minister said, “If there are shortcomings in his leadership, I will point them out when the time comes.” When asked if he planned to resign if his concerns were not addressed, Vij said he wouldn’t, but would make others resign instead.
“They can take away my ministerial berth. But they can’t take away my seniority in the BJP and my 7-time membership of the Haryana assembly,” he added.
In the past week, Vij has spoken against the Saini government four times. Last Thursday, Vij announced he had stopped his Janata Darbars (town hall meetings) in Ambala and would skip grievance committee meetings at Sirsa and Kaithal because his orders were not followed by officers. He had also threatened to go on a fast unto death like farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal for the sake of his constituents.
Last Friday, he took a direct dig at Saini, saying that ever since the latter had become CM, he had constantly been flying in an ‘udan khatola (helicopter).
Badoli, along with Haryanvi singer Rocky Mittal, is facing charges of raping a Delhi woman in a hotel in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, back in 2023. An FIR was registered against Badoli at Kasauli police station on 13 December last year under IPC Sections 376D (gang rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The woman in her complaint accused the BJP state president and Mittal of forcing her to consume alcohol before raping her at the hotel. She further claimed that the accused took objectionable photos and videos of her.
Contacted by ThePrint, Vij said he just repeated what he had been saying since the beginning that Badoli must resign as state BJP chief till he was cleared of the gang rape charge.
“I shudder at the thought that a person who has an FIR accusing him of raping a woman in a hotel with another person is my party’s president in the state,” he added. “We have women members and office-bearers and our party is making endeavours to bring more women into its fold. How do we sit with women in party meetings with a person accused of gangrape in an FIR sitting in the chair? How do we explain women why can’t we have some other person as party’s president till Badoli is cleared of the rape charge?”
Also Read: Haryana CM Saini drinks from Yamuna, his govt files complaint against Kejriwal over ‘poisoning’ remark
‘Wish Badoli turns out innocent’
Vij said Badoli has claimed innocence and he, as a dedicated worker of the BJP, would also wish that the BJP state president is cleared of the charges. However, he added, people had been raising questions about Badoli’s conduct since the FIR was lodged.
“The victim’s friend has come forward and claimed that Badoli is innocent. We wish she is speaking the truth. However, people are asking how a woman from a very poor background with a small-time job could hold a press conference at a luxurious hotel in Panchkula. It is clear that someone else arranged for the press conference. She was pressured, so said what she said,” said the transport minister.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: 100 days of Saini 2.0: Why Haryana CM is no longer seen merely as Khattar’s protégé
