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Ashwani Kumar Sharma
 | This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. (December 2020) |
Ashwani Kumar Sharma | |
|---|---|
| President, BJP Punjab | |
| Assumed office 17 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Shwait Malik |
| Constituency | Pathankot Assembly Constituency |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 January 1964 Pathankot, Punjab, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Children | One Son |
| Residence | Gali No. 2, New Bank Colony Behind Bus Stand, Pathankot, Punjab, India |
Ashwani Kumar Sharma (born 23 January 1964) is an Indian politician and a current Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Punjab president. He was a member of Punjab Legislative Assembly and represented Pathankot.
His desire for social work motivated him and he joined RSS at the tender age of 9 . During his college time he played the key role in ABVP, he joined active politics in 1988 by becoming a member of B.J.Y.M.(Pb).judging his leadership qualities and bright acumen the B.J.P elevated him to the more responsible post of Mandal Pradhan in 1989. His vibrant personality with selfless service infused new life into the party workers. Known for his organisational and managerial skills, he was made the President B.J.Y.M (Pb) in 2004.
After a successful term he was appointed as General Secretary BJP Punjab from 2007 to 2010.Meanwhile, he became Chairman of District. Planning Board Gurdaspur. Due to his consistent diligence and selfless efforts, he was elected as BJP Punjab State President in 2010. Under his leadership party performed exceptionally well in 2012 legislative elections by winning all the Vidhan Sabha seats for BJP in Dist. Pathankot and contributed a lot in building SAD-BJP alliance and was able to repeat the coalition government in Punjab after 43 years and also became member of legislative assembly in 2012.[1][2]
Early life[edit]
[3] He was born in a lower-middle-class family on 23 January 1964. His father Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma was a devoted Hindu, a renowned pandit (priest) and astrologer in the district Gurdaspur. The family had migrated to India from Sialkot (Pakistan) after partition.[citation needed]
Ashwani Kumar Sharma did his early schooling from Vivekananda Model High School, Pathankot and went to do his graduation from Guru Nanak Dev University in Bachelor of Arts.[citation needed]
Sharma was involved with RSS based social service activities since childhood. He participated in the neighborhood shakhas as a boy from there on he was formerly inducted to become a RSS Swayamsevak. During his college days in Pathankot, he worked as an active member of ABVP and has been vociferous supporter of students in active Indian Politics.[4]
Political career[edit]
His desire for social work motivated him and he joined RSS at the age of 9, during that time he had participated in rallies like the Tobacco Protest against terrorists like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Known for his organisational and managerial skills, he was made the President B.J.Y.M. (Pb) in 2004. After a successful term he was appointed as General Secretary BJP Punjab from 2007 to 2010.
Meanwhile, he became Chairman of District Planning Board Gurdaspur. Due to his efforts, he was elected as BJP Punjab State President in 2010. Under his leadership party performed exceptionally well in 2012 legislative elections by winning all the Vidhan Sabha seats for BJP in Dist. Pathankot and contributed a lot in building SAD-BJP alliance and was able to repeat the coalition government in Punjab after 43 years and also became member of legislative assembly in 2012.
Controversies[edit]
Some sections of society allege that he had also published articles and magazines along with pamphlets for the Bajrang Dal in 1986 and 1992. The Indiatoday described one of his articles- "Bihar Rajya Sabha member S.S. Ahluwalia sent the prime minister copies of offensive posters in Lucknow and Patna virtually calling for a pogrom of the Sikhs, put up by the Bajrang Brigade, a militant off-shoot of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad." The minister has not proclaimed innocence or acknowledged the event, many say that it is false. Although he has lots of support saying that at that day and age it was completely allowed and viable due to mass scale terrorism and glorification of terrorists by the Jatt Sikh population. Afterwards in 1999 he published a Hindu right-wing magazine titled "Sikhs Hindu hai-Khalistani Musalman hai".
He had stated in his rally in Central Jalandhar, 2020, "When I and the Bharatiya Janta Party take over, we will all start using Sanskrita Punjabi in it's pure Devnagari script." There was backlash although the minister has not taken his words back, as of now. Rural Jatt Sikhs had started protests against this athough no outcome or closure to the event. He has also started his 'tweeting' in both Punjabi and Hindi or just Hindi.
He had also started casteist vote politics, although no evidence has been given for the same except two reportedly fabricated videos. He had openly proclaimed that "The Jatt Sikhs are with the Shiromani Akali Dal, if they win there will be a Kalyuga (dark age) in Punjab. The Mazabhis are with the Aam Aadmi Party, who are busy saluting Kejriwal in Delhi. The Congress is lost; Navjot Singh Sidhu's policies are a joke and so is his ally with Pakistan. It's only Khatris who have stayed loyal to Punjab since the beggining, the Gurus were Khatris, all Sadhus and Udasins are Khatris. Any patriot of Punjab is by default a Khatri." He continued saying, "BJP has two policies; no tolerance for terrorism and no tolerance for intoxicants".
He had also tweeted in Hindi "Attempts were made to disrespect Sri Swaran Mandir in Amritsar, I strongly condemn this incident. This incident is highly reprehensible. This incident should be fully investigated." Radical Hindu sections have stated that he should condemn to lynching rather than the sacrilege whereas Sikhs have stated that the name is Sri Darbar Sahib rather than Swaran Mandir.
While condemning the Nihang attack on a cop he had stated that the Nihang order should be given ceremonial and blunt daggers made of wood or rubber, or even sealed during Gurdaspur News Today talk show with Gurmeet Singh.
He had stated in 2019 that "All Hindu Bihari immigrants will receive ₹5000 along with subsidies, the BJP is pro-choice and pro-Punjab" in a bid to increase votes, although the statement back fired due to many Bihari immigrants being illegal and the fact that Bihari Hindus have been changing the demographics of Punjab.
He had also taunted Afghani Sikhs fleeing from Talibani persecution saying "All you have to do is worship Krishna Ji and Shri Ganesha and all will be fine. The BJP and the Government have started Operation Devi Shakti to save the Sher Singhs hailing from Afghanistan."
References[edit]
- ↑ . Results Punjab State Assembly Elections 2012 Archived 6 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Bharatiya Janta Party Punjab". Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ↑ "Punjab 2012". The Association for Democratic Reforms. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ↑ "Candidate affidavit". MyNeta. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
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