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Kaushik’s removal as BJP state chief puts focus on his future role
Kaushik’s removal within 16 months of his appointment, despite panchayat elections pending in Haridwar district, has raised many questions especially related to his political future.
A week after Madan Kaushik was replaced by former MLA Mahendra Bhatt as Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party president, the stir caused by the development refuses to die down.
Kaushik’s removal within 16 months of his appointment, despite panchayat elections pending in Haridwar district, has raised many questions especially related to his political future.
A five-time legislator from Haridwar city, Kaushik’s supporters have termed the move motivated by the two open slots in the Pushkar Singh Dhami’s cabinet or the 2024 parliamentary election in which Kaushik may be given a ticket from the Haridwar constituency. But his opponent faction led by former cabinet minister Swami Yatishwaranand and sitting Haridwar parliamentarian Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank have called the removal “a result of Kaushik’s inability to take along all the party leaders and workers and remaining confined to his assembly segment only.”
Political analysts also link his removal to the BJP’s performance this year’s assembly election when the party managed to win only four seats in Haridwar, Kaushik’s home district. In 2017, the BJP had won eight seats.
“Losing the seats and the allegations by Laksar ex-BJP legislator Sanjay Gupta of Kaushik plotting the former’s defeat also led to his mid-term removal from the post,”said political analyst Trilok Chand Bhatt.
“A section of legislators from Haridwar are also against Kaushik which may have led the party high command to relieve him from the post to dispel any factionalism or future revolt,” he said.
Following Kaushik’s removal, Yatishwaranand held a briefing at his Ved Niketan ashram.
“Surely, the party high command would have considered various factors before removing Kaushik. We all welcome the new party president and will support him to strengthen the party,” said Yatishwaranand, who rarely shared the dais with Kaushik.
Since Kaushik was not inducted as a cabinet minister in Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government, he has been quite unhappy with the move, a person in the know of the development said, on anonymity.
“Kaushik had agreed to be a stop-gap replacement as 2022 Assembly elections were nearing. He should be credited for carrying the party to a thumping majority win. If a cabinet minister (Swami Yatishwaranand) lost the election to Harish Rawat’s daughter Anupama then should Kaushikbe blamed for it or Yatishwaranand? Kaushik won by 10,000 votes for the fifth time, so the party should use his experience in the state cabinet or in Parliament,” said a senior state unit party office bearer, on condition of anonymity.
Despite repeated attempts, Kaushik remained unavailable for comment.
“Kaushik is one of the senior-most BJP leaders and has won with record votes in all assembly elections. He was the first choice as cabinet minister in BC Khanduri, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Tirath Singh Rawat cabinet and has now essayed the state party president role with success. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone,” said BJP district unit general secretary Vikas Tiwari.
“Congress’s strong foothold here and political dominance has led to BJP getting ousted in assembly polls in the district.Factionalism in BJP is open in Haridwar. Even the party’s own workers don’t expect much from BJP high command which has been off late neglecting the district when it comes to representation, both in the state cabinet and party organisation,” said Congress leader Rao Affaq Ali.
Kaushik was appointed state BJP president in March 2021 taking reins from veteran Bansidhar Bhagat. Kaushik has won the Haridwar city assembly segment in all five assembly elections since 2002. With Congress not able to win this seat for the past two decades, it had this time fielded a saint turned politician Satpal Brahamchari, to wrest the seat from Kaushik. But Congress lost the seat again. Kaushik has served as the cabinet minister in 2017–2021 and 2007–2012 BJP governments.
