Retired Army officer Kothiyal to be AAP’s CM face

Dehradun, Aug 17 (PTI):
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced that retired Army colonel Ajay Kothiyal will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls. Addressing a press conference at the IRDT auditorium here, Kejriwal said Kothiyal was the principal of the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering when the Kedarnath disaster struck and is credited with doing commendable work in rescuing people and helping the affected put their lives back on track in the aftermath. Later, the AAP chief met party office-bearers and held a roadshow with Kothiyal in the heart of the town.
Kejriwal said the decision to pick Kothiyal, who joined AAP in April, as the party’s CM face is based on the feedback received from people who are fed up with politicians helming the state.
“(Manish) Sisodia was here some time back. He asked people directly who should be the party’s CM face. The response in favour of Col Kothiyal was overwhelming.
“People here want a break from politicians who have only looted the state. They now want a soldier full of patriotic feelings as CM, who will not spend his tenure filling his coffers but serve them,” he said. “He (Kothiyal) was battling terror and guarding the country’s frontiers when politicians were busy looting the state,” he said.
If voted to power, the Aam Aadmi Party, under the leadership of Kothiyal, will make Uttarakhand the global spiritual capital for Hindus, he added.
Describing Kothiyal as a true soldier, Kejriwal said the former Army officer is affectionately called ‘Bhole ka fauji’ by the locals in recognition of his work during the 2013 floods in Kedarnath.
“Col Kothiyal is the man who helped rebuild lives in the hills after the Kedarnath disaster. He is an apolitical man with first-hand experience of the ground realities. He will use his experience of rebuilding lives in the wake of the tragedy for building a new Uttarakhand,” he said.
“With Col Kothiyal, who has direct knowledge of the ground realities as they exist in the hills, we are working on a plan to generate employment opportunities for the state’s youths,” he added.
Kothiyal thanked Kejriwal for reposing his trust in him and said he will try his best to rise to his expectations.
He asked people to give him just six months’ time to prove his mettle.
“You should let me continue only if you find me good enough,” he said.
After the press conference, Kejriwal and Kothiyal along with AAP state unit president S S Kaler took part in a roadshow from the Clock Tower to the Dilaram Chowk here.
The AAP is the first party to declare its CM face for the Uttarakhand Assembly polls.
The party has been fielding candidates in successive elections in Uttarakhand since 2014 but has drawn a blank so far.
However, this time around it appears more serious about challenging the ruling BJP and the Congress, with top party leaders having made several visits to the state in recent months to boost its chances.
While Delhi Deputy CM and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia has visited the state several times in the past few months to galvanise party workers, Kejriwal has visited Dehradun twice in less than two months.