Kumar Uttam
Kumar Uttam covers politics and public affairs. He has been a journalist for 15 years.
Articles by Kumar Uttam
PM Modi back in Delhi, his first stop is ‘friend’ Arun Jaitley’s house
By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 22, 2020 08:27 PM IST
PM Modi wrapped up the three-nation tour last night - the G-7 Summit in France was his last stop - and landed in the national capital earlier this morning. Minutes later, he was headed to Jaitley’s south Delhi house to meet the former union minister’s family.
How BJP plans to make the most of the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 22, 2020 08:31 AM IST
The Bharatiya Janata Party feels that Kashmir is one such issue when the entire country needs to speak in one voice and the decision to strip the state of its special status received support from across political and ideological divide.
Five times Bhopal lawmaker Pragya Thakur embarrassed BJP
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 27, 2019 10:58 AM IST
Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur suggested that the opposition was resorting to sorcery against the ruling party leaders when attempting to reason the spate of deaths in the BJP ranks.
As LoP, Arun Jaitley re-energised the party
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 21, 2020 12:11 AM IST
Jaitley’s discussion with his friends from Opposition was not limited to just the legislative agenda, but he would often talk to them about watches, fountain pens and, of course, shawls, a personal passion.
Arun Jaitley, served as BJP’s troubleshooter in multiple arenas
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 20, 2020 08:05 AM IST
Arun Jaitley was the darling of the media, and redefined the way the BJP engaged with television channels and newspapers by grooming a generation of spokespersons and leaders who now occupy high offices in the Narendra Modi government.
BJP brass wants to keep Yediyurappa in check. His new cabinet is the proof
New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 18, 2020 07:45 AM IST
That approval came around Monday midnight. It had been firmed up after several rounds of negotiation between Yediyurappa and the BJP leadership and was the best that Yediyurappa could have extracted from New Delhi.
41 ordnance units may be turned into public enterprises
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Kumar Uttam
PUBLISHED ON AUG 20, 2019 07:39 AM IST
The official noted that in the past, the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG), the government’s auditor, and the armed forces, repeatedly raised issue of quality and delays in delivery of equipment by the ordnance factories.
Why Mohan Bhagwat spoke about reviewing quotas, and what it may mean
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 20, 2019 08:33 AM IST
This is not the first time that some RSS functionary, or even Bhagwat, has set up a political firestorm by suggesting that the present system of caste-based reservations merits a re-look.
BJP kicks off Haryana election campaign
Hindustan Times, Kalka | By Kumar Uttam
PUBLISHED ON AUG 19, 2019 12:35 AM IST
The BJP formed a government in Haryana for the first time in 2014 by bagging 47 of the state’s 90 assembly seats. The party has set a target of winning at least 75 seats this time.
If we talk to Pak, it will be about PoK now: Rajnath Singh
Hindustan Times, Kalka/Islamabad | By Kumar Uttam and Imtiaz Ahmad
UPDATED ON AUG 18, 2019 11:41 PM IST
If a dialogue is held between India and Pakistan in future, it would be focused on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday
Another jolt for Mamata, former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee joins BJP
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 15, 2019 07:42 AM IST
Former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee is among several of those who have deserted Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP after the latter won 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats – 4 short of Trinamool’s tally of 22.
The secret to BJP’s ‘all are welcome’ mode | Opinion
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 14, 2019 02:47 PM IST
The lesson that Modi delivered to the BJP in 2013 remained an effective tool for the party’s during the 2019 parliamentary polls and, even, afterwards.
In Sikkim assembly, BJP zooms from 0 to 10 after inducting SDF lawmakers
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 13, 2019 10:18 PM IST
Former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling of the SDF, who is currently the leader of the opposition in Sikkim, did not join the BJP.
What went into PM Modi’s wild adventure with Bear Grylls
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Sunetra Choudhury and Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 13, 2019 12:03 AM IST
Proceeds from the Man vs Wild show with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shot in Corbett in February, and aired on Monday night on Discovery channel, will be donated for a national cause, according to officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and the broadcaster.
Wrestler Babita Phogat, father join BJP ahead of Haryana polls
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 13, 2020 10:33 PM IST
They joined the BJP in the presence of Union sports and youth affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, party’s general secretary in-charge of Haryana Anil Jain and its state chief Subhash Badala.
Government to roll back tax on disability pension for forces
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 12, 2019 05:58 AM IST
Disability pensions in the Indian armed forces will continue to be exempt from tax, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh has conveyed to senior government officials, effectively rolling back a recent order that brought the provision in the tax net.
BJP appoints Prakash Javadekar as in-charge of Delhi assembly polls
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 09, 2019 02:05 PM IST
Prakash Javadekar will be assisted by Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Nityanand Rai.
BJP plans to launch outreach programme over J-K move
Hindustan Times, Jammu | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 09, 2019 01:09 AM IST
The decisions were approved by Parliament with an overwhelming majority. They were endorsed by several Opposition parties, and even by some leaders from parties that opposed the decisions.
Sushma Swaraj: A fiery orator who knew the art of building bridges
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 08, 2019 12:08 AM IST
The feisty Haryana-born leader played many roles in a career spanning over four decades, and she played them well.
A disciple of Krishna, Sushma Swaraj played many roles
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 11, 2020 03:32 PM IST
A student of Sanskrit, Sushma Swaraj was fond of reading poetry. A book shelf, tucked in one corner of her Safdarjung lane office was meant for people from her constituency.
Sushma Swaraj to Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Leaders BJP lost in a year
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 07, 2019 01:05 PM IST
While some of them had retired from active politics, a few died while in office.
Sushma Swaraj: The first woman leader to make it big in BJP
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 07, 2019 11:48 AM IST
Sushma Swaraj died on the day the Bharatiya Janata Party fulfilled one of its three ideological commitments by rendering Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, ineffective.
BJP expels Kuldeep Singh Sengar amid outrage
Hindustan Times, Lucknow/New Delhi | By Pawan Dixit and Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 02, 2019 12:11 AM IST
Demands for Sengar’s removal from the party had mounted after a road accident last Sunday killed two female relatives of the rape survivor and her lawyer and her battling for their lives.
SC reserves order on plea over EWS reservation
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
PUBLISHED ON AUG 01, 2019 05:57 AM IST
A three-judge bench led by Justice SA Bobde told attorney general KK Venugopal that the petitions raised substantial questions of law that needed to be settled.
Government may further extend Budget session till Aug 9
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON AUG 01, 2019 01:00 AM IST
The current session started on June 17 and was to end on July 26, but the government extended it till August 7 to clear pending bills. The extension was opposed by parties such as the Congress and Trinamool Congress.
For triple talaq victims, Tripura chief minister has one-stop solution. His office
New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUL 31, 2019 12:51 PM IST
Biplab Kumar Deb’s tweet came hours after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition pulled off a coup of sorts in the Rajya Sabha, getting the house to clear the contentious legislation that had been in the deep freezer for about a year.
BJP holds meet, readies J&K poll strategy
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUL 31, 2019 06:14 AM IST
BJP’s working president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday held a meeting with the party’s core group from J&K in Delhi to discuss the future programmes that will set the tone for the assembly elections.
‘Congress still in the past’: Sanjay Sinh quits party, will return to BJP
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUL 30, 2019 04:55 PM IST
The Congress and the Rajya Sabha chairman have accepted senior Congress leader Sanjay Sinh resignation.
With a raft and a spear, see the unseen side of PM Modi
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUN 26, 2020 08:48 PM IST
The video shows PM Modi, dressed in outdoor casuals, on a makeshift raft, walking through wild growth and making a make-do spear with Grylls.
Membership drive: BJP eyes 55 million new enrolments
New Delhi | By Kumar Uttam
UPDATED ON JUL 28, 2019 12:54 AM IST
The BJP claims it is the world’s largest political party after it enrolled 110 million members in 2015. A big jump from its previous tally of 29 million members.