CM supreme, can take away any dept: Vij

Chandigarh, January 14

Amid a row over ministerial jurisdiction over the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Home Minister Anil Vij today said the Chief Minister was supreme and could take away or divide any department.

Vij made the remark days after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the CID remained under the Chief Minister’s charge during Bansi Lal and Devi Lal governments.

Asked if grounds were being prepared to take away the CID from him, Vij said in Ambala, “The Chief Minister is supreme. If he wants to divide a department, he can do that. If he wants to take away a department, he can do that. I never raised any objection to this.”

“There is no need to make any preparation because the Chief Minister is supreme and he can give direct orders to officers and seek information from them,” Vij said.

“When so much is going on over this issue, I feel that there may be some other intention behind this,” said the senior BJP leader.

The row erupted recently after two official websites of the state government showed the CID under the Chief Minister’s charge and Vij took exception to it.

The government removed the websites’ content showing the CID among the Chief Minister’s portfolios. Khattar had sought to play down the row over who was in charge of the CID. — PTI