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.
