BJP MP Kulaste distances himself from remarks on ministerial berth
The former Union Minister has reportedly said that he did not want to be a Minister of State for the fourth time and a Cabinet Minister post ‘would have been good’
Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla and former Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste on June 17 distanced himself from his statement that he did not want to be a Minister of State (MoS) for the fourth time and a Cabinet Minister post “would have been good”.
Speaking to The Hindu after the State BJP’s election review meeting in Bhopal, Mr. Kulaste said, “This is not a subject. It is for the Prime Minister to decide. I had clearly said that we [the BJP] have formed the government [at the Centre] three times and I have been a Minister all three times. I have also held various other responsibilities in the party like the four-time national president of Scheduled Tribe wing.”
When asked, Mr. Kulaste did not confirm or deny whether he was offered the post of MoS in the new BJP-led NDA government or not.
“This is the Prime Minister’s decision. Whatever responsibility is given to me, I will undertake that,” he said.
In a video that appeared on the Internet on Sunday, the six-term MP is heard saying that he had refused to become an MoS for the fourth time.
“I have become [an MoS] thrice so I clearly refused and said that it’s not good if I become an MoS for the fourth time. If Cabinet [post] is possible, then it’s good. I have nothing in my mind, I have been a Minister for many times. So, I clearly said this,” Mr. Kulaste is heard telling the media on the sidelines of an event.
Tribal face
Mr. Kulaste, who has long been the BJP’s tribal face in Madhya Pradesh, did not find a spot in the third Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party has instead promoted two new faces from the State’s tribal quota, appointing them Ministers of State — Dhar MP Savitri Thakur and Betul MP Durga Das Uikey.
Sources in the BJP’s State unit also said that the party was looking to groom new tribal leaders in Madhya Pradesh that has over 21% population of the community.
“He has been representing Madhya Pradesh’s tribal community in Delhi for a long time but this time he himself faced some anti-incumbency in Mandla. The party has now moved to fresh faces and younger leaders from other regions of the State,” an insider said.
Mr. Kulaste was also among the various Union Ministers and MPs from the previous Union government who had been fielded by the BJP in the Assembly elections in November 2023.
Even though he had lost the Assembly polls, he was again fielded from the Mandla Lok Sabha seat and won.
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