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Ambala/Chandigarh (PTI): Senior BJP leader and former Minister Anil Vij on Sunday said he will stake claim for the chief minister's post if the party returns to power in Haryana after the October 5 Assembly polls.

The six-time MLA's remarks come at a time when the party has already made it clear that Nayab Singh Saini will be the chief minister if the BJP returns to power.

Saini is also the party's chief ministerial face in the polls.

"I never sought anything from the party till today... people from Haryana are coming to meet me. Even in Ambala, people tell me that I am senior-most why I did not become CM. On demand of the people, and on the basis of seniority, this time I will stake claim to become chief minister," Vij said.

Whether the party makes me or not, it is up to them. But if they make me CM, I will change Haryana's 'takdeer and tasveer' (destiny and face of Haryana), the Ambala Cantt MLA said.

When asked to clarify the remarks he made while interacting with reporters in Ambala, Vij later told PTI over phone, "I am the party's senior-most MLA and have won six elections and am contesting my seventh one. I have never sought anything from my party so far."

"But people from across Haryana and people of my own constituency have been meeting me... I will stake claim for the chief minister's post," the 71-year-old Vij said.

"It is up to the party high command to take a call," he said.

When pointed out the Saini has already been declared chief ministerial candidate, Vij said, "There is no bar on staking the claim. I will make my claim, let the party take a call."

Asked about the timing of his decision with polls only a couple of weeks away, Vij said he took the decision after people came to meet him.

"People have been regularly meeting me and asking me about this (that he is senior most and yet not become CM)," Vij said.

Notably, in March, Manohar Lal Khattar was replaced by Saini as chief minister. Polling for the 90 assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8.

When BJP came to power in Haryana for the first time on its own strength in 2014, Vij along with few other BJP leaders including Ram Bilas Sharma, was frontrunner for the CM's post, but the party went with Manohar Lal Khattar, a first-time MLA then, as its choice.

Recently, BJP has faced resentment from some of its leaders who were denied tickets.

BJP leaders including Ranjit Singh Chautala, Laxman Napa, Karan Dev Kamboj and few others quit the party.

Former Minister Ram Bilas Sharma was also denied ticket from Mahendragarh this time.

In March, Vij was said to be upset with the BJP for not keeping him in the loop when the party decided to replace Manohar Lal Khattar as the chief minister and bring Nayab Singh Saini in his place.

He had then said he came to know about it only in the BJP MLAs' meeting here in which Saini's name was announced.

Vij later also did not find a place in the cabinet led by Saini. The senior BJP leader had also kept away from Saini's swearing-in ceremony in March.

In April, while addressing a public gathering in Ambala, Vij, without taking any names, had said, some people have made him a stranger in his party.

"Mana kuch logo ne mujhe meri party mein he begana bana diya hai, parantu kayee baar begane apno say bhi zyada kaam kar jaate hai, (It may be true that some people have made me a stranger in my party, but sometimes strangers do more work than own people)," Vij had then said.

Vij, who held the home portfolio in the Manohar Lal Khattar government, was often at loggerheads with Khattar when he was the CM.

Vij, has in the past maintained, that he is a dedicated worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but whatever he has to say he says it clearly.

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Mumbai/Kolkata/Silchar: A shocking incident aboard IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata has gone viral, sparking outrage after a video emerged showing a man being slapped mid-flight while reportedly suffering a panic attack. The victim, identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar from Assam, has since gone missing, and his family is seeking urgent answers.

The video, widely circulated on social media, shows Hossain in visible distress, attempting to leave his seat and reportedly requesting to deboard. As flight attendants tried to calm him down, another passenger suddenly approached and slapped him. The incident triggered immediate protest from fellow travellers.


Hossain, a gym trainer based in Mumbai, was en route to his hometown Katigorah in Cachar district via a connecting flight from Kolkata to Silchar. However, he never boarded the Silchar flight, and his mobile phone remains unreachable. His family, who had gathered at the Silchar airport, are now in distress. Zubairul Islam Mazumdar, a relative, said, “We have no idea where he is. We’ve contacted the police and airport authorities but haven’t received any concrete information.” His father, Abdul Mannan Mazumdar, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said tearfully, “He was our only hope. Now we don’t even know if he’s safe.” In a statement issued on August 1, IndiGo Airlines said: “We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. Our crew acted in accordance with established procedures. The individual identified as unruly was handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. Regulatory agencies have been informed as per protocol.”

However, the airline's statement has been criticised for failing to clarify what happened to Hossain after the incident, whether he received medical help, was detained, or was allowed to continue his journey.

The video triggered widespread anger on social media, with many users interpreting the slap as a possible hate-driven act. However, aviation journalist Jagriti Chandra of The Hindu offered a clarification on X, stating: “The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight was handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident occurred after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to deboard. Both belong to the same religious community.”

Despite this clarification, concerns remain about the airline's handling of a visibly distressed passenger, particularly in the context of mental health. Unverified posts circulating on social media claim that Hossain was later found, though there has been no official confirmation from authorities or the airline.

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