Controversy erupts after Parineeti named brand ambassador of girl child campaign

A day after Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra was announced as the brand ambassador for 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign by the Haryana government, state Health Minister Anil Vij today expressed ignorance on the subject.

In comments that may cause embarrassment to the ruling BJP state government, Vij said that he was not informed about the decision by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

"I do not have any information of anybody appointed brand ambassador of my department for Beti Bachao programme," Vij tweeted after the 26-year-old actress hailing from Ambala was named as the brand ambassador of the programme to promote the cause of girl child.

The controversy has yet again brought to fore the blow-hot blow-cold relations between the Health minister and the Chief Minister.

"I came to know through the social media that some actress has been made brand ambassador. Many of my friends in the media tried to seek information from me regarding the terms and conditions of her appointment, after which I tweeted to clarify things from my side," Vij told reporters after his tweet erupted into a controversy.

The five-time MLA maintained that "the issue of the actress being made as the brand ambassador has never been discussed in any of the meetings of my department, nor has my department any knowledge about it".

Vij also went on to say that there was no need of any celebrity to run the campaign.
"My (Health) department is the sole responsible department for this entire BBBP campaign in the state. My doctors are conducting raids day in and day out to check the menace of female foeticide and help bring to justice those violating the law by allowing girls to be killed in the mother's wombs, my doctors are undertaking grave risks..I don't think we need any actor or actress for this campaign."

'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign, aimed at ensuring survival, protection and empowerment of the girl child, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat in the state in January this year, an event in which Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit had also been present.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had tweeted last night, "We welcome Parineeti Chopra as the brand ambassador for the Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao programme, to promote the cause of the girl child."

Following it up with another tweet, Khattar said, "An all-day, 'call to action' event will be held in Gurgaon on July 21 to give the campaign a boost."

Khattar also clicked a selfie with a group of girls today as they thanked him for the launch of the campaign.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of Women and Child Development Department, said that Khattar would inaugurate the programme at Gurgaon in the presence of US ambassador to India, Richard Verma.

Chopra, who would also be present at the Gurgaon event, would undertake different activities to promote survival and education of girl child, he said.

Meanwhile, this is not for the first time that Vij has taken a veiled dig at Khattar.
In one of his tweets earlier this year, Vij had stated, "Thank You Chief Minister For Taking Keen Interest Into My Departments. I am Relaxed".

Vij was apparently upset with Khattar, who had in recent times launched many programmes and schemes pertaining to the departments handled by the former.

Vij, a five-time MLA and a popular face of the party in the state, was front runner for the chief minister's post after BJP came to power in Haryana on its own for the first time, after last year's assembly polls.

However, the saffron party chose Khattar, a first-time legislator from Karnal constituency and former RSS ideologue.

From time to time, BJP, however, has sought to play down Vij's jibes on Twitter, with senior BJP leader and party's in-charge for Haryana affairs, Anil Jain, earlier asserting that there were "no differences" between Vij and Khattar.