Tuesday, 20 April 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
After weeks of speculation, colonel (retd) Ajay Kothiyal took the plunge and finally joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday at the Mission Uttarakhand Navnirman event of the party. Kothiyal joined the party in the presence of the state in-charge of the party, Dinesh Mohaniya and the state president of AAP, S S Kaler. Talking about joining AAP in the event, Kothiyal said that he has started a new inning in his life and he is quite overwhelmed with the constant support he receives from Uttarakhand’s public. He also thanked Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Mohaniya for giving him the opportunity to join AAP in order to work for the development of the people here. During his virtual address from Delhi, Kejriwal also welcomed Kothiyal into the party and called him a true soldier.
Apart from this, he also said that it is high time that people get to see the development across Uttarakhand for which they had struggled to get a separate State. He said that for the last 20 years, Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have looted the public here with each other’s support. Despite being the ruling party in the State many times, none of the party actually held any investigation into any accusations against each other’s party members, asserted Kejriwal. He also said that BJP is ruling the state for the last four years and now, they have appointed a new chief minister who is revoking and retracting all the decisions made by the previous CM of four years. “Is the BJP party playing a joke with Uttarakhand public?” asked Kejriwal. He said that despite having most of the resources in the State, the BJP and Congress failed to achieve any development in the State. He said that AAP is ready to tackle all the issues and would provide upgraded facilities in education and health among others on the basis of Delhi’s model of development.
Meanwhile, the party did not directly announce Kothiyal as the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttarakhand but Mohaniya hinted at this possibility in his address in the event. He said that the party had always maintained that they would choose such a person who has dedicated his life in service of the country and everybody is proud of him and they found all such traits in Kothiyal. He asserted that the presence of Kothiyal would strengthen the presence of AAP in Uttarakhand politics.
Considering the support AAP is getting in the State, Mohaniya added that his party would emerge as the best alternative during the 2022 assembly elections.
