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Tag: Indira Hridayesh

  • Senior Congress leader Indira Hridayesh cremated in home town Haldwani

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: The mortal remains of senior Congress leader Indira Hridayesh were consigned to flames with full state honours on Monday at Ranibagh’s Chitrashila ghat, around six km from her home town Haldwani.

    Before the body of Hridayesh was taken for cremation, people from across the political spectrum turned up at her Haldwani residence and then at the party office at Swaraj Ashram to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat laid a wreath on her body at her Haldwani home.

    “The state government will carry forward the unfinished work of Indiraji, a popular leader who always placed matters of Uttarakhand’s interest above everything else,” the chief minister said in a tweet.

    One of the seniormost Congress leaders from Uttarakhand, Hridayesh, an MLA from Haldwani, was the leader of opposition in the state Assembly.

    Other prominent leaders who paid their last respects to her included state BJP president Madan Kaushik, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, former chief minister Harish Rawat, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Uttarakhand Devendra Yadav and former state Congress chief Kishor Upadhyay.

    A large number of Congress leaders, supporters and relatives gathered at the Chitrashila ghat for the last rites of the departed leader.

    Hridayesh died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi on Sunday at the age of 80.

    She is survived by three sons.

  • Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Indira Hridayesh passes away

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly and Indian National Congress MLA from Haldwani, Indira Hridayesh, passed away in Delhi on Sunday. 

    Uttarakhand state government has announced full day mourning on Monday when her last rites are scheduled to be held in Haldwani, Nainital district of Uttarakhand. 

    Hridayesh (80), who had gone to Delhi on Saturday to attend organisational meetings of the party for upcoming 2022 assembly polls in the state, suffered a heart attack.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many others expressed their condolences on her demise.

    “Dr Indira Hridayesh Ji was at the forefront of several community service efforts. She made a mark as an effective legislator and also had rich administrative experience. Saddened by her demise. Condolences to her family and supporters,” PM Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. 

    Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed their condolences on her demise. 

    The veteran Congress leader is survived by her three sons and their families including grandchildren.

    Hridayesh was selected for the legislative council in 1974 for the first time in undivided Uttar Pradesh followed by 3 more terms. 

    In year 2000, after Uttarakhand state was carved out of earstwhile UP, Hridayesh became member of the state legislative assembly. 

    She held various important cabinet positions in Congress government including minister for public works, parliamentary affairs, finance, legislative affairs and many more.

    She was elected for the state assembly in year 2017 from Haldwani. 

    Her sudden demise is a blow for Congress as she was one of the most important leaders of the state who has support of the masses and ample electoral as well as political experience. 

    Harish Rawat, former CM of Uttarakhand said, “She was one of the strongest pillars the state had. She was elder sister to me as well as the people of the state. Her sudden demise has left a void which can never be filled.”

  • Uttarakhand Congress a divided house over CM face

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Factionalism in the Congress unit in Uttarakhand has reared its head again, with the rival camps of former chief minister Harish Rawat and Leader of Opposition Indira Hridayesh vying for the lead role in the state election.

    Uttarakhand goes to poll in 2022. Of the total 70 Assembly seats, the ruling BJP has 56 seats while the Congress has got 11. Lobbying has started in the Congress, with Rawat recently demanding that the party should announce its CM face. Rawat found support from former Assembly speaker Gobind Singh Kunjwal. The Congress veteran even tweeted Devendra Yadav, Uttarakhand in charge of the party, requesting him to announce the CM candidate.

    But, the Indira Hridayesh camp assert their leader managed to hold her constituency Haldwani in 2017 despite a strong Modi wave which felled Harish Rawat in Haridwar-Rural and Kichcha. “Indiraji was able to maintain her stronghold even at the peak of the Modi wave which swept Uttar Pradesh with over 300 seats and with more than 50 seats out of 70-member Assembly in Uttarakhand. She must be the party face as she has an image of strong leader and has ample experience,” said one of her aides. 

    While PCC vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana maintained that the party will contest as a single unit, his senior Pritam Singh chose not to comment on the matter. ex-CM is unlikely to keep a low profile, as Dehradun-based political commentator Jay Singh Rawat observed, given that he has managed to etch out a space in the national politics despite his setback in 2017. “The party high command has made him a general secretary of the party and given key responsibilities such as Punjab,” he said.

  • After Uttarakhand CM, BJP chief apologizes to Leader of Opposition Indira Hridayesh on Twitter

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: After Uttarakhand Chief Minister apologized to Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Indira Hridayesh, BJP state president also took to Twitter to ‘respectfully take his statement back’.

    Bhartiya Janta Party state president Bansidhar Bhagat wrote on Twitter, “Indira Hridayesh ji is a respected leader of the state and verbal exchanges are natural due to electoral territory being the same. I did not intend to hurt her personally, if she is hurt I take my statement respectfully.”

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also went public in apologizing to Hridayesh after Bhagat’s statement in which he called her ‘Budhiya’ (old lady) and ‘Doobta Jahaz’ (Sinking Ship) recieved backlash.

    Rawat tweeted at around 1 am in the morning on Wednesday saying that he is ‘very sad’ to hear about the remarks made against the 80-year-old Leader of Opposition and will personally call her too to seek further apology personally. 

    “Respected Indira Hridayesh ji, I am sad beyond anything today. Women are highly respectable to us. I personally apologise to you and all others who are saddened by this like me. I will speak to you personally and offer my humble apologies again,” tweeted the CM. 

    “Humari neta-pratipaksha keh rahi bahut se vidhayak humare sampark me hain. Are budhiya! tujhse kyun sampark karenge? Doobte jahaz se koi sampark karega? (Our Leader of Opposition says that several MLAs are in touch with us. Why would they contact you old woman? What would one want to do with a sinking ship?),” the BJP president had remarked. 

    Retorting to this, Hridayesh said that she was hurt with the kind of language used by the BJP state president and demanded that the ruling party’s national leadership takes cognizance of the incident.

    “Such language, then it is an insult to the motherhood which the women of our hills will never forgive. I don’t use such unparliamentary language so can’t stoop to his level. I urge the BJP  national leadership to take notice of this and seek explanation from him. Raising the slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, these people should at least be mindful of their language,” said Hridayesh. 

    Following the incident Congress party workers launched protests across the state burning effigies and demanding removal of Bhagat. 

  • Uttarakhand CM apologises to Congress leader for colleague’s remarks

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has apologised to Congress leader Indira Hridayesh on behalf of the state BJP president who had made derogatory remarks against her.Uttarakhand BJP president Bansidhar Bhagat had referred to Hridayesh, who is Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, as “arre budiya,” derogatorily calling her an “old woman”.

    “Behan ji, I am extremely sorry today. We respect women and hold them in high esteem. I personally apologise to you and to all those who are hurt,” Rawat tweeted in Hindi late Tuesday night.

    “Tomorrow, I will talk to you personally and again ask for forgiveness,” he said.

    Bhagat has refused to apologise but “withdrawn” his remarks.

    Rawat’s apology came after the Congress leaders asked BJP president J P Nadda to take note of the remarks and instruct the party’s state unit chief to apologise. She also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take cognisance of the remarks.

    “Bansidhar Bhagat has used undignified and discourteous language for me. It has caused me extreme pain and hurt. The state president of any party represents his entire organisation and if he uses this kind of language, it also shows disrespect to women in general,” she said.

    Women of this country and the state will never tolerate the way Bhagat has insulted women, Hridayesh said.

    At an interaction with party workers at Bhimtal in Nainital district on Tuesday, Bhagat had mocked Indira Hridayesh.

    “Our Leader of Opposition says many MLAs are in touch with her. Who will be in touch with you, old woman? No one will contact a sinking ship. In fact, she is herself saying that she can come to BJP if she and her son are given a ticket,” he said.

    “She is saying there will be an explosion. No one should be under any illusion, there will be no explosion. BJP stands very strong,” Bhagat said, referring to a prediction by the Congress leader about “explosive” developments regarding the BJP.

    The BJP leader had shared his speech on Facebook.

    When contacted, Bhagat refused to offer an apology. “I did not say anything to hurt anyone. However, if my statement has hurt her, I withdraw my words,” he said.

  • Uttarakhand CM apologises to Opposition leader after state BJP president calls her ‘budhiya’

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: After a backlash over Uttarakhand BJP president Bansidhar Bhagat’s remarks on leader of the Opposition Indira Hridayesh, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat made a public apology to her.

    Rawat tweeted at around 1 am in the morning on Wednesday, saying that he is ‘very sad’ to hear about the remarks made against Hridayesh and will call her to make a personal apology.

    “Respected Indira Hridayesh ji, I am sad beyond anything today. Women are highly respectable to us. I personally apologise to you and all others who are saddened by this like me. I will speak to you personally and offer my humble apologies again,” tweeted the CM.

    Rawat tweeted an apology to the 80-year-old leader of opposition who was called ‘budhiya’ (old lady) and ‘doobta jahaz’ (sinking ship) by Bhagat on Tuesday.

    “Humari neta-pratipaksha keh rahi bahut se vidhayak humare sampark me hain. Are budhiya! tujhse kyun sampark karenge? Doobte jahaz se koi sampark karega? (Our Leader of Opposition says that several MLAs are in touch with us. Why would they contact you old woman? What would one want to do with a sinking ship?),” the BJP president had remarked.

    Reacting to this, Hridayesh said that she was hurt with the kind of language used by the BJP state president and demanded that the ruling party’s national leadership take cognizance of the incident.

    “Such language is an insult to motherhood which the women of our hills will never forgive. I don’t use such unparliamentary language so can’t stoop to his level. I urge the BJP  national leadership to take notice of this and seek explanation from him. Raising the slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, these people should at least be mindful of their language,” said Hridayesh.

    Following the incident, Congress workers launched protests across the state burning effigies and demanding the removal of Bhagat.