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Kumar Uttam

Kumar Uttam covers politics and public affairs. He has been a journalist for 15 years.

Articles by Kumar Uttam

Karnataka BJP could secure government with a pre-emptive strike on Speaker

Karnataka assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar who on Thursday disqualified three rebel Congress legislators is likely to face the heat of BJP as the party is expected to seek his removal from the chair of Speaker.

Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar conducting the session, at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.(Photo: PTI)

india news

Updated on Jul 27, 2019 02:54 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

In Speaker’s ultimatum to Azam Khan, a clear ‘apologise or else’ message

The decision will be formally conveyed by the Speaker who had responded to calls for action against Azam Khan with a promise to call the meeting.

The decision to seek Azam Khan’s apology was taken at Speaker Om Birla’s meeting with leaders of key political parties.(ANI photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 08:26 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani seek ‘exemplary action’ against Azam Khan

The call on how to proceed against the lawmaker will be taken by Speaker Om Birla who announced that he would call a meeting of leaders of political parties to discuss the episode before arriving at a decision.

Azam Khan and his boss Akhilesh Yadav weren’t in the House when members flagged his remarks soon after question hour.(ANI)

india news

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 06:01 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

In Karnataka, Yeddyurappa waits for go-ahead to stake claim

Ousted chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, for his part, said he had no regrets and was “happy” he could work for the poor until his last day. His father, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, however, blamed the BJP for “horse trading”.

A senior party leader said in New Delhi that the BJP would take a final call after assessing the situation. A second senior leader said in Bengaluru that the party may wait for speaker KR Ramesh Kumar’s final decision on the rebel lawmakers. (ANI Photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 24, 2019 11:34 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Bengaluru/New Delhi | ByVikram Gopal and Kumar Uttam

BJP targets big win in assembly polls in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra

The BJP has prepared “Mission 75-plus” strategy for the assembly polls in Haryana, “Mission 65-plus” for Jharkhand and “Mission 220-plus” plan for the election for the 288-member Maharashtra.

A Bharatiya Janta Party worker erecting BJP flags, in Jammu.(Nitin Kanotra / Hindustan Times)

india news

Published on Jul 21, 2019 12:18 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

‘Send me the names’: Upset PM Modi on absentee BJP ministers

Prime minister Narendra Modi made the comments on Tuesday during the weekly meeting of the BJP parliamentary party and asked for names of ministers who skipped the meet.

Modi’s sharp reminder on Tuesday was not the first time he has highlighted the problem of MPs skipping sittings.(PTI photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 01, 2020 07:47 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

SP’s Neeraj Shekhar quits Rajya Sabha, may join BJP

Neeraj Shekhar was a prominent leader of the Samajwadi Party and there is speculation that he might join the BJP.

Shekhar, the son of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, met Naidu and told him he is resigning voluntarily and not under any compulsion.(Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Jul 16, 2019 08:02 AM IST

New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

10 Goa Congress dissidents join BJP, reshuffle on cards

The 10 legislators, who will not attract censure under the anti-defection law because they form two-thirds of the Congress in the state, were inducted into the BJP in the presence of working president JP Nadda and chief minister Pramod Sawant.

BJP working president JP Nadda with Goa CM Pramod Sawant and 10 Congress MLAs at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday.(Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Jul 11, 2019 11:39 PM IST

Delhi/Panaji | ByKumar Uttam and Gerard de Souza

Why 76-year-old Yeddyurappa is indispensable to BJP in Karnataka

BS Yeddyurappa remains the party’s most popular face in Karnataka, with a standing in almost every region of the state.

Yeddyurappa is eyeing another stint in power as chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s government teeters on the brink.(ANI)

india news

Updated on Jul 10, 2019 01:13 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Bengaluru | ByKumar Uttam

BJP in no hurry to form govt in Karnataka, waits for Speaker to accept resignations

The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance government in Karnataka has been on the brink of collapse since 13 MLAs put in their papers last week.

Karnataka BJP state chief BS Yeduyurappa with Jagadish Shettar (left), KS Eshwarappa (right) and others during the BJP legislator party meeting at the party office in Bengaluru on Monday.(PTI photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 09, 2019 07:11 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

India won’t back down on its plan for mandatory data localisation

This was the reason why India joined Indonesia and South Africa in not signing on for the “Osaka declaration on digital economy” at the recent G20 Summit in Osaka.

The Osaka Track, as Japan’s initiative has come to be known, was supported by the European Union and 23 countries, including key allies and trade partners of India such as the US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and Singapore.(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 05, 2019 09:36 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam d Rezaul H Laskar

After PM Modi’s sharp rebuke, BJP gets moving against Akash Vijayvargiya

Akash Vijayvargiya, son of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, was caught on TV cameras last week while attacking a civic official in Indore.

Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja alleged that the BJP did not have the courage to act against Akash and his father.(ANI file photo)

india news

Updated on May 27, 2020 10:49 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Is this why people voted for us: PM Modi on Akash Vijayvargia’s cricket bat attack

PM Modi’s speech at the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting also had words for all BJP members of parliament (MPs) lax about attendance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cautioned members of parliament to behave themselves(PTI file photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 03, 2019 01:15 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | BySunetra Choudhury and Kumar Uttam

On triple talaq bill, law minister says deterrence must to fight social ill

The government has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha that proposes to make the practice an offence punishable with imprisonment for up to three years with a fine.

The law minister said that all bodies that are supposed to be societal leaders of have failed to address the issue.(Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Jun 28, 2019 08:58 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

‘Triple talaq bill not about religion’: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The law minister emphasised that the issue is part of BJP’s Sankalp Patra (election manifesto).

The minister maintained that the Modi government will not backtrack when it comes to social empowerment. (SANJEEV VERMA/ HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 28, 2019 08:57 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

State polls to BJP membership drive, Nadda has his task cut out

A former minister and a BJP veteran, JP Nadda will have to face a four-fold challenge after taking over as ruling party’s chief.

In the presence of PM Narendra Modi, Home minister Amit Shah gives a bouquet to JP Nadda (Left) after he was appointed BJP working president on June 17.(PTI Photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 23, 2019 07:53 AM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByKumar Uttam

HRD minister Pokhriyal asks central institutes to adopt and transform villages

A former chief minister of Uttarakhand, Pokhriyal met the heads of these institutions over the past one week and asked each of them to think of at least one “out-of-the-box idea” that they plan to execute over the coming months.

Human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ wants the institutions to finalise the “actionables” they will target over the next 100 days, one year and five years, said the person who requested anonymity.(PTI file photo)

india news

Published on Jun 20, 2019 07:04 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Om Birla, BJP’s surprise pick for Speaker, is also a message down the line

Om Birla is a three-term member of Rajasthan assembly, and has worked closely with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Rajasthan leader Om Birla is Bharatiya Janata Party’s surprise pick for the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker.(HT Photo/Sonu Mehta)

india news

Updated on May 24, 2020 12:28 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

BJP switches into transition mode, appoints JP Nadda as working president

Fifty eight-year-old Nadda has been an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) veteran, the students wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh where he has spent many years as a pracharak of the RSS.

The appointment was cleared by the BJP’s powerful parliamentary board, the top decision-making body of the party.(Sourced)

india news

Updated on Jun 18, 2019 12:02 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

BJP hints at defections from Congress, TDP in Telangana

The BJP surprised its rivals by winning four of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. It secured 19.5% votes — the highest ever in the southern state.

india news

Updated on Jun 17, 2019 07:23 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Drought relief tops Niti aayog meeting agenda

The meeting comes at a time when several parts of India are battling a drought-like situation and reeling under a severe heatwave.

Broadly, the five items on the agenda are defined as drought and relief; rainwater harvesting; aspirational district programme; transforming agriculture; and security situation in districts affected by Left-wing extremism (LWE).(Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

india news

Published on Jun 10, 2019 07:06 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Change of guard for BJP likely in Bihar, UP, Maharashtra

“There eventually will be a change in the leadership in these states,” the first BJP leader said. The party constitution allows for two terms but the chiefs will have to exit under its “one-man-one-post” rule, one of the two leaders said on condition of anonymity.

The Bharatiya Janata Party will get new chiefs in three key states following the appointment of the incumbent presidents as union ministers, two BJP leaders said.(Reuters File Photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 05, 2019 11:45 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Ahead of assembly show, 3 BJP CMs who stood the test of Lok Sabha polls and gained ground

Experts say the three leaders have earned respect even outside the BJP by delivering in the general elections.

Devendra Fadnavis led the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance to a huge victory in Maharashtra, winning 41 out of 48 seats. The BJP bagged 23 of the 25 seats it contested.

india news

Updated on Jun 02, 2019 09:48 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

JP Nadda, Bhupendra Yadav frontrunners for next BJP president post

Jagat Prakash Nadda, health minister in the previous Narendra Modi government, and Bhupendra Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP, are among the front runners to replace Shah.

BJP president Amit Shah’s promotion to home minister means the party will have to find a suitable replacement(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Jun 01, 2019 07:28 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Amit Shah gets home, Rajnath Singh defence

Sitharaman, 59, was defence minister in the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and replaces Arun Jaitley, who ruled himself out of Modi’s new team citing health reasons.

Amit Shah with Rajnath Singh(Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Jun 01, 2019 12:03 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Amit Shah gets home ministry, Rajnath Singh defence in PM Modi’s new cabinet

President Ram Nath Kovind had last evening sworn in PM Modi and his 57-member council of ministers.

NDA elected leader Narendra Modi with BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah before taking oath as the Prime Minister of India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, May 30, 2019.(Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on May 19, 2020 12:53 AM IST

New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

58-member Team Modi in place, first cabinet meet today; portfolios soon

The new cabinet is expected to hold its first meeting in the evening today and the allocation of portfolios will also be done soon.

Modi was sworn in as PM for a second term at the head of a 25-member cabinet in which he enlisted BJP chief and close confidant Amit Shah.(Bloomberg Photo)

india news

Updated on May 18, 2020 08:25 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

PM Modi, Amit Shah in talks ahead of NDA II oath-taking today, all eyes on new team

PM Modi will be sworn in on Thursday for his second term at the helm of a coalition government that will be minus outgoing finance minister Arun Jaitley, in a ceremony attended by 6,000 invitees, including foreign dignitaries, allies and adversaries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah held a three-hour meeting on Wednesday too.(AFP FILE)

india news

Updated on May 30, 2019 12:42 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

‘Government for all’: PM Narendra Modi sets tone for second term

Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi set the tone for his second term in office on Saturday, telling newly elected Lok Sabha members of the NDA to win the confidence of the minorities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses after meeting with President Ramnath Kovind at Rastrapati Bhawan in New Delhi, Saturday, May 25, 2019.(PTI photo)

india news

Updated on May 25, 2019 11:21 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

Lok Sabha election results 2019: NDA to meet today to elect PM Modi as leader

A BJP functionary said Prime Minister Modi is likely to fly to Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, on May 28 and that he may to spend a day in his home state, Gujarat, on May 29.

Newly elected lawmakers of the ruling National Democratic Alliance will meet in New Delhi on Saturday to elect Modi as their leader and pave the way for his swearing in as Prime Minister, most likely on May 30.(Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

elections

Updated on May 25, 2019 07:47 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByKumar Uttam

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Kumar Uttam

Kumar Uttam covers politics and public affairs. He has been a journalist for 15 years.

Karnataka assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar who on Thursday disqualified three rebel Congress legislators is likely to face the heat of BJP as the party is expected to seek his removal from the chair of Speaker.

The decision will be formally conveyed by the Speaker who had responded to calls for action against Azam Khan with a promise to call the meeting.

The call on how to proceed against the lawmaker will be taken by Speaker Om Birla who announced that he would call a meeting of leaders of political parties to discuss the episode before arriving at a decision.

Ousted chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, for his part, said he had no regrets and was “happy” he could work for the poor until his last day. His father, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, however, blamed the BJP for “horse trading”.

The BJP has prepared “Mission 75-plus” strategy for the assembly polls in Haryana, “Mission 65-plus” for Jharkhand and “Mission 220-plus” plan for the election for the 288-member Maharashtra.

Prime minister Narendra Modi made the comments on Tuesday during the weekly meeting of the BJP parliamentary party and asked for names of ministers who skipped the meet.

Neeraj Shekhar was a prominent leader of the Samajwadi Party and there is speculation that he might join the BJP.

The 10 legislators, who will not attract censure under the anti-defection law because they form two-thirds of the Congress in the state, were inducted into the BJP in the presence of working president JP Nadda and chief minister Pramod Sawant.

BS Yeddyurappa remains the party’s most popular face in Karnataka, with a standing in almost every region of the state.

The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance government in Karnataka has been on the brink of collapse since 13 MLAs put in their papers last week.

This was the reason why India joined Indonesia and South Africa in not signing on for the “Osaka declaration on digital economy” at the recent G20 Summit in Osaka.

Akash Vijayvargiya, son of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, was caught on TV cameras last week while attacking a civic official in Indore.

PM Modi’s speech at the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting also had words for all BJP members of parliament (MPs) lax about attendance.

The government has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha that proposes to make the practice an offence punishable with imprisonment for up to three years with a fine.

The law minister emphasised that the issue is part of BJP’s Sankalp Patra (election manifesto).

A former minister and a BJP veteran, JP Nadda will have to face a four-fold challenge after taking over as ruling party’s chief.

A former chief minister of Uttarakhand, Pokhriyal met the heads of these institutions over the past one week and asked each of them to think of at least one “out-of-the-box idea” that they plan to execute over the coming months.

Om Birla is a three-term member of Rajasthan assembly, and has worked closely with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Fifty eight-year-old Nadda has been an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) veteran, the students wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh where he has spent many years as a pracharak of the RSS.

The BJP surprised its rivals by winning four of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. It secured 19.5% votes — the highest ever in the southern state.

The meeting comes at a time when several parts of India are battling a drought-like situation and reeling under a severe heatwave.

“There eventually will be a change in the leadership in these states,” the first BJP leader said. The party constitution allows for two terms but the chiefs will have to exit under its “one-man-one-post” rule, one of the two leaders said on condition of anonymity.

Experts say the three leaders have earned respect even outside the BJP by delivering in the general elections.

Jagat Prakash Nadda, health minister in the previous Narendra Modi government, and Bhupendra Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP, are among the front runners to replace Shah.

Sitharaman, 59, was defence minister in the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and replaces Arun Jaitley, who ruled himself out of Modi’s new team citing health reasons.

President Ram Nath Kovind had last evening sworn in PM Modi and his 57-member council of ministers.

The new cabinet is expected to hold its first meeting in the evening today and the allocation of portfolios will also be done soon.

PM Modi will be sworn in on Thursday for his second term at the helm of a coalition government that will be minus outgoing finance minister Arun Jaitley, in a ceremony attended by 6,000 invitees, including foreign dignitaries, allies and adversaries.

Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi set the tone for his second term in office on Saturday, telling newly elected Lok Sabha members of the NDA to win the confidence of the minorities.

A BJP functionary said Prime Minister Modi is likely to fly to Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, on May 28 and that he may to spend a day in his home state, Gujarat, on May 29.

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