Decision on stubble burning to be based on SC order: Haryana minister Vij

Chandigarh, Oct 19 (IANS) Slamming Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda over his remark that stubble burning is not the only reason behind air pollution, state Cabinet Minister Anil Vij said on Saturday "stubble burning case is being heard in the Supreme Court and the state decision will be taken based on its order”. 

Vij was reacting to Hooda’s statement that the government “is intimidating farmers over stubble burning and Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s remark that if the government does not retract this decision, the Congress will protest”.

The apex court on Wednesday summoned the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana after expressing disapproval over the lack of proper legal action against stubble burning in the state.

Reacting to Surjewala’s call for protests, Vij said, “Protest for the next five years because the public has already rejected you. When you needed the people, they did not stand with you. Despite your claims of anti-incumbency, the father-son (Bhupinder and Deepender Hooda) duo used to go to sleep imagining themselves as Chief Ministers, but the people rejected them.”

Regarding Congress leader Capt Ajay Yadav resigning from all his positions after the poll debacle, Vij told the media in Ambala, “Looking at the state of Congress, it seems their shop is about to shut down, and perhaps some others might follow Captain’s lead.”

He said now the BJP government has been formed, and the first thing “we will do is inaugurate an escalator on Monday that has been installed at the Civil Hospital in Ambala Cantonment”.

Vij said as the elections ended, he began inspecting ongoing development projects and instructed officers to complete the tasks swiftly.

Commenting on the Congress’ infighting over the chief minister's position earlier and now over the position of Leader of the Opposition, Vij said, “There’s nothing, but they’re still fighting.”

He added the Opposition doesn’t understand the pulse of the people, while he confidently claimed on every media platform that the BJP government would be formed for the third time, without any alliance, because “he understands the people's sentiments”.

“If a doctor fails to read the pulse of the patient, he should close his clinic,” the seven-time legislator from Ambala Cantonment added.

--IANS

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