News Analysis India

Tag: Madan Kaushik

  • Who will be Uttarakhand CM? Top BJP leaders in huddle ahead of legislature party meeting

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand acting Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said that the procedure for government formation is underway and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership will take a decision on the next leader of the legislature party in the state.

    Dhami, the state unit BJP chief Madan Kaushik and former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Sunday reached the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital to discuss government formation.

    The BJP President JP Nadda and party leaders BL Santhosh and Uttarakhand minister Satpal Maharaj also arrived at the residence of Shah.

    “The procedure for government formation is underway…the BJP central leadership will take a decision (on CM face),” said Dhami, at Uttarakhand Bhawan in Delhi.

    Uttarakhand legislature party meeting is scheduled to be held later today.

    Meanwhile, the BJP MLA and former minister Rekha Arya has supported Dhami as the next Chief Minister.

    Several MLAs, including Ganesh Joshi and Arvind Pandey, have given their consent for the name of Dhami as the leader of the legislature party.

    Till now six MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party have announced their willingness to vacate their Assembly seats to help Dhami get elected to the House.

    Dhami had lost to Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri by a margin of 6,579 votes. Dhami got a total of 41,598 votes with a vote share of 44.8 per cent as against Kapri who got 48,177 with a huge vote share of 51.89 per cent.

    The BJP won the popular mandate for the second consecutive term in Uttarakhand, bagging 47 seats in the 70-member Assembly.

  • Police gives Guard of Honour to Uttarakhand BJP chief; official cites ‘misunderstanding’

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik was given a Guard of Honour on Monday by the state police in Bageshwar in violation of protocol, with a senior official saying it happened due to a “misunderstanding”.

    Pictures of the state BJP chief being given the Guard of Honour on his arrival at Bageshwar were shared on social media.

    Kaushik, who was a member of former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat’s cabinet, was recently appointed president of the state BJP.

    Admitting that the Guard of Honour given to the state party president was wrong, Deputy Inspector General (Law and Order) Neelesh Anand Bharne said it was due to a “misunderstanding”.

    “The official responsible for it had just returned from leave and was not aware of the recent changes in government in the state,” he said.

    Trivendra Singh Rawat had tendered his resignation earlier this month, and Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn in as the state’s chief minister on March 10.

    Kaushik, who represents Haridwar in the state assembly, was appointed state BJP president on March 12 replacing Bansidhar Bhagat who is now a minister.

  • BJP appoints Madan Kaushik its Uttarakhand unit chief

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday appointed MLA Madan Kaushik as its Uttarakhand state president, replacing Banshidhar Bhagat who may be inducted as a minister in the government headed by Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat.

    The party has also implemented tried and tested formula of Brahmin-Rajput balance by appointing a Brahmin as state president. 

    Kirankant Verma, a political expert from Haridwar said, “Madan Kaushik is experienced in party affairs as well as governance. The party has picked him as state president as it’s the trump card. No one could have been a better choice. He will act as a strong link between the government and the party.”

    Four-time MLA from Haridwar constituency, Kaushik served as the cabinet minister in 2007-2012 BJP government with Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

    He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2002 followed by successful stints in state assembly elections of years 2007, 2012 and 2017.

    Traditionally, if the CM position goes to Thakur, the state president position goes to Brahmin or vice-versa. 

  • ‘BJP will again form govt in Uttarakhand after 2022 polls’: New state party president Madan Kaushik

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand’s new BJP president Madan Kaushik Friday said he would successfully meet the challenges of 2022 state assembly elections.

    Talking to reporters after being appointed the president of the BJP’s state unit, Kaushik exuded confidence that his party will again win the assembly elections and form the government in the state after 2022 polls.

    In reply to a question on organisational changes in his party, he said it is a natural process and cited the example of BJP national president J P Nadda having been given the responsibility of the party when he was the Union health minister.

    Uttarakhand: Madan Kaushik appointed as Uttarakhand BJP president! @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/PyTIhOlZZg
    — Vineet Upadhyay (@VineetTNIE) March 12, 2021

    He said the BJP workers are trained to undertake all challenges in their stride.

    A four-time MLA from Haridwar and a state minister, Kaushik has been made the BJP’s state unit president in place of Banshidhar Bhagat by Nadda.

  • Ready for debate, says AAP’s Manish Sisodia in Doon 

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said that the BJP is running a ‘sting model’ government while Delhi is progressing under ‘Kejriwal Model’. “While we have worked to improve health, education, power and water supply and generate jobs in Delhi, the BJP government in Uttarakhand remains in neck deep corruption and  stings,” said Sisodia. 

    Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik who had ‘accepted’ Sisodia’s challenge to an open debate skipped the event on Monday, prompting the AAP leader to claim that the BJP had nothing to show for its four years in power in the hill state.

    ALSO READ | Uttarakhand cabinet minister responds to ‘debate challenge’ of Manish Sisodia

    The chair kept at the dais at the IRDT auditorium for Kaushik remained empty even as Sisodia attacked the state government for allowing corruption to flourish right under its nose. “If it had really done something for development, the minister would have come for the debate. He has not shown up because they have not done anything. Corruption is all that has happened in the state in the nearly four years of their rule,” Sisodia alleged.

    The Aam Admi Party leader also added that after Kaushik had accepted the debate challenge, he was expecting a ‘healthy debate’ which is a good sign for a democracy as leaders from two different governments would come face to face before the public and debate openly. 

    Sisodia had earlier challenged Kaushik to list even five works done for welfare of Uttarakhand state and people and challenged him for debate in Dehradun. Kaushik on Sunday had responded in a letter calling him a ‘tourist politician’, adding that politics is serious issue and not some ‘theater show’. 

    Addressing the party workers, Sisodia asked the workers to prepare for the 2022 assembly polls. “The electoral contest in year 2022 is going to be BJP vs AAP. It is only the AAP which can fulfil the dreams of Uttarakhand,” added Sisodia. 

    He further invited Kaushik to Delhi on January 6 for the debate adding that in Delhi he will be able to see AAP government’s work in education, health, power, water, women security and others areas. Responding to Sisodia, BJP state vice-president Devendra Bhasin, “AAP leaders are not serious and we are always ready for any kind of debate.”

  • Uttarakhand cabinet minister responds to ‘debate challenge’ of Manish Sisodia

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand cabinet minister Madan Kaushik on Sunday wrote an open letter to Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia responding to his debate challenge on works done by the Uttarakhand state government since March 2017. 

    Kaushik, in a four-page letter written in Hindi, alleged that Aam Admi Party and its leaders are just ‘Seller of Hopes’. Calling Sisodia, a ‘Tourist Politician’, he added that politics is a serious issue and not some ‘Theater Show’. 

    “Politics is a serious issue and not some theater show. I want you to remember that Uttarakhand is a land of serious movements. Every person in Uttarakhand is aware of development-centric politics and its serious facets, ” wrote Uttarakhand urban development minister in the letter. 

    Calling AAP leaders escapist he further added in the letter that AAP leaders keep hopping from Delhi to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and now they are coming to Uttarakhand. 

    Launching a scathing attack, Kaushik wrote that Covid-19 got out of control due to the carelessness of the AAP government and only after Union home minister Amit Shah intervened and came to the rescue, the situation could be normalized. 

    He also wrote that promises of opening 400 libraries, regular power and water have all fallen apart along with much-hyped ‘Mohalla Clinics’ most of which have closed now.

    “I have no qualms in saying that you have a deeply ingrained lust for power. You cheated the people of Delhi for this. Now, you are trying to do the same in Uttarakhand but your attempts are bound to fail. The condition of lakhs of people living in the slums of Delhi is a well-known fact. You should learn something from Uttarakhand on this,” said Kaushik in the letter. 

    Sisodia who had challenged the minister for an open debate schedule Jan 4, 2021, in Dehradun is scheduled to reach Dehradun on Monday. 

    Sisodia on Saturday tweeted, “I would be in Dehradun on January 4 and in Delhi on January 6 to showcase the work done by AAP government.” 

    Earlier, Kaushik accepting the challenge had replied that he will go to Delhi to answer this. 

    Commenting on the issue, SS Kaler, state president of AAP said, “The BJP is lying and it always does. The party and its leaders are not ready to talk about what they have done because they have done nothing. Earlier they said they will list 100 good works and now they are not able to list even five.”