by Anil Vij’s hot start in Haryana
Anil Vij, who was sworn in as Haryana’s cabinet minister on Thursday, has a well-documented history of run-ins with officials. His first and second terms, from 2014 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2024, were marked by such incidents. And it seems like he’s at it again. After his swearing-in, Vij traveled from Panchkula to Circuit House in Ambala Cantt the same evening. When he arrived, he was displeased to find that some of the district’s most important officials were not attending the meeting. He lost his temper and ordered the officers who managed to leave too.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Aparajita, Sub-District Magistrate Satinder Siwach and some municipal council officials were present on behalf of the administration.
As soon as Vij took his seat, he expressed his displeasure and the ADC’s attempt to highlight the presence of several other officials did little to assuage his anger. “What should I do with committee members? Am I here to build roads?” Vij asked. “That is wrong. You go and we’ll take care of it ourselves.”
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Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vijay Kumar intervened and told Vij that the Superintendent of Police in Panchkula was on VIP duty, but this only increased Vij’s anger and he replied, “Forget this duty.” Where are the others officials? There are so many departments, where are the rest?”
The minister stressed that officials were informed of the meeting’s date at 2 p.m., but four hours later they still had not arrived. Frustrated, he canceled the meeting and ordered the officers to leave the room. He repeated, “We’ll take care of it ourselves.”
Mandaviya back in the bike saddle
Labor Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya’s love for cycling is well known. He started cycling to parliament back in 2012, when he was first elected as an MP. At that time, the Congress-led UPA was in power and Meira Kumar was serving as its spokesperson. When Mandaviya approached Kumar and asked for a place to park his bike, she had playfully asked, “Photo khichwane ke liye kar rahe ho…?” (Are you doing this for a photo op?).
Mandaviya continued to cycle into Parliament for nine years, even after becoming a state minister in 2016. However, due to his increasingly hectic schedule, he eventually had to give up this routine.
Now Mandaviya may no longer have to commute to work, but thanks to former minister Kamal Nath, Mandaviya is cycling again.
As minister, Mandaviya was allotted a bungalow on Tughlaq Road, which was previously allotted to Kamal Nath. During his tenure, Nath renovated the house, which now has a spacious lawn with a bike path. This facility allows Mandaviya the luxury of cycling every day after she gets home from work.
“Kamal Nath said that he is my God (I inherited a great house from Kamal Nath),” he quipped during an informal interaction with reporters.
Mahayuti Cabinet Drama
During the penultimate cabinet meeting of the Mahayuti government on Thursday, the Eknath Shinde-led coalition took 38 decisions. In the end, however, it was not about the sheer number of decisions taken, but about deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s abrupt and early exit from the meeting.
Sources within the Mantralaya reveal that Shinde expected a concrete proposal to be presented at the Cabinet meeting and clashed with Deputy Chief Minister Pawar, who oversees the state finance portfolio. Shinde, the source added, questioned Pawar about the proposal, apparently a bit too aggressively for his taste, which prompted Pawar to walk out. Shinde is then said to have channeled his frustration onto a government official – an unfortunate scapegoat in the situation.
Also read: The “busiest” minister in the bloc? Rajiv Ranjan Singh’s frequent absences keep officials on their toes
Civil Service Dilemma in J&K
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With major concerns within the J&K bureaucracy over navigating between two centers of power with the return of an elected government after six years, Zeeshan Khan’s post highlighted the confusion in the bureaucracy, which still officially reports to the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre .
Khan wrote: “During the LG rule, we have achieved results and it will continue to be so. As before, undeclared work will not be tolerated.”
The official then pointed out that the difference now is “having a representative that we know.”
After his tweet went viral within officers’ groups, Khan was criticized for publicly “taking sides.” Although he later deleted the post, many officials recognized that it reflected the dilemmas and challenges that lie ahead.
Another “son” rise in Tamil Nadu
A new political personality is emerging in Tamil Nadu, reflecting a trend within the ruling DMK. With the appointment of Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Prime Minister MK Stalin, as deputy chief minister, expectations of a similar “son” rise within the AIADMK party are growing.
AIADMK general secretary and leader of opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) is gearing up to induct his son Mithun into electoral politics for the 2026 general elections. Both father and son are considering running in various constituencies in their home district of Salem.
Although Mithun keeps a low profile on party matters, he has been quite active behind the scenes since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Grapevine points out that the EPS’s relatively mild criticism of CM Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi, who is rising in the DMK, is closely linked to his preparations for his own son’s political debut.
“Family matter” of the SP
Speaking of dynasties, the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) list of candidates for Parliament in Uttar Pradesh largely includes relatives of prominent leaders. Of the seven candidates announced so far, six come from political families.
For Mainpuri’s Karhal seat, Akhilesh has fielded his cousin Tej Pratap Yadav ‘Teju’. This seat fell vacant after Akhilesh resigned following his election as a Member of Parliament.
Others include Naseem Solanki, wife of former MP Irfan Solanki in Sisamau, Jyoti bind, wife of former MP Ramesh Bind, in Manjhwa, Sumbal Rana, daughter-in-law of former MP Kadir Rana, in Mirapur, Shobhawati Verma, wife of incumbent MP Lalji Verma in Katheri, and sitting MP Awadhesh Prasad’s son Ajit Prasad in Milkipur.
While the BJP criticizes the party for promoting ‘Parivarvad’ (dynastic politics), SP officials defend it by arguing that if a senior leader’s son, daughter or daughter-in-law gets a ticket, other family members will be motivated to give in elections their best. Call it SP’s “winnability formula,” if you will.
Also read: AAP’s dilemma over Kejriwal’s former bungalow and Pallavi Patel’s strange moves after meeting Yogi
