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Tsunami & After

BJP suspends rebel leader Uma Bharati

     New Delhi: The Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday suspended former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior party leader Uma Bharati from the primary membership of the BJP for her act of defiance over the Madhya Pradesh leadership issue. It also issued a show-cause notice to Bharati, asking her why she should not be expelled from the party on grounds of indiscipline. Announcing the decision, BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitely said that the party's parliamentary board held that Bharati's conduct and comments in the last couple of days amounted to anti-party activities. Bharati would be given three days to respond to the show-cause notice, he added. Latest reports said that Bharti, who is currently on a "Kshama Padyatra" between Bhopal and Ayodhya, would be addressing a press conference at 3 p.m. today

     On Tuesday, the BJP had suspended six Madhya Pradesh leaders, including - Prahlad Patel, a close supporter of Uma Bharati, Mahendra Singh Yadav, Shailendra Sharma, Shiv Shankar Pateria and Shaitan Singh for their anti-party activity during the party's Parliamentary Board meeting in Bhopal on Monday. The controversy had cropped up on Monday when Bharti, furious over party's decision to elect Shivraj Singh Chauhan as Madhya Pardeshs new Chief Minister without consulting legislators, decided to boycott the meeting and stormed out of it along with 17 legislators supporting her. Claiming that the decision to elect Chauhan without consulting state legislators was unconstitutional, Bharati announced a protest march to Ayodhya. Yesterday, Uma had declared herself as the "real BJP" saying nobody could remove her. She had also challenged Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss the issue with her. However, reacting to Bharati's activities and statements, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday termed her actions as the "height of indiscipline".

     Meanwhile, the General Secreetary of Jana Sangh, Prafull Goradia, has stated that the manner in which Bharati was treated at Bhopal clearly showed that there was no place for Hindu nationalists in the BJP. "We call upon them to come back to their original home that is the Jana Sangh," Goradia said in a statement here today.

Uma Bharti to reply to show-cause notice

      Bhopal: Within hours of being suspended from primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharati said that she would reply to the show-cause notice served by the Parliamentary Board of BJP within three days. Addressing a press conference here today, Bharti said she would respond to the notice within the time frame mentioned in it, adding that she had been living for the party and would die for it. Taking an emotional route on her relationship with senior party leaders former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, party president L K Advani and Jaswant Singh, Bharti said that these leaders were like her parents and she would reply to them. Softening her stand on the leadership issue in the State, the suspended firebrand BJP leader said that she was in the BJP for sharing similar ideology and not for any post. On being asked about her "Kshama Padyatra" between Bhopal and Ayodhya, Bharti termed it a "non-political" event. The Parliamentary Board of the BJP had suspended Bharti earlier this morning from the primary membership of the BJP for her act of defiance over the Madhya Pradesh leadership issue. Announcing the decision, BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitely said that the party's parliamentary board held that Bharati's conduct and comments in last couple of days amounted to anti-party activities.

      "Vajpayeeji, Advaniji and Jaswantji are like father figures for me. I am their child. I am living and will die for the party. I am not in the person in want of power but am there for ideology, said Bharati. She further said that individuals would come and go, but ideology remains the basis of the party. Bharti's stand came within hours of her suspension from the primary membership of the BJP for her act of defiance over the Madhya Pradesh leadership issue. BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitely said that the Parliamentary Board of the party held that Bharati's conduct and comments in last couple of days amounted to anti-party activities.

Uma terms Kshama Padyatra as non-political exercise

     Terming her ongoing "Kshama Padyatra" between Bhopal and Ayodhya as a "non-political" exercise, suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti said on Wednesday that it was planned long back. Vowing to continue the padyatra, the firebrand BJP leader said that all routes in her life pass through Ayodhya. "It (Kshama Padyatra) had been planned long back with the consent of Advaniji, though it was to take a different route. It could not be taken up then as I had pain in the knees, and even now, for the first few days, I would not walk more than nine kilometres per day," she said. She further said that she along with her supporters would chalk out the complete route of the padyatra tonight. Bharti is likely to complete the yatra in the next three weeks. Her yatra will enter Mirzapur enroute Banaras before reaching Ayodhya.

VHP steps in with shoulder to cry on for forlorn Uma Bharati

      Jaipur: Minutes after the Bharatiya Janata Party shoved Uma Bharati out of its doors, the feisty yet forlorn senior BJP leader found a willing shoulder to cry on in the form of the radical Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Uma's oft-repeated call to save Lord Ram and his yet to be constructed temple in Ayodhya seems to have cut ice with the VHP leadership, which said that anyone espousing the cause of Ram was and would be dear to them. During the Chetana rally in Jaipur, VHP leaders came out in open support of Bharti after she was suspended from the primary membership of BJP. Announcing Bharti's participation in the Chetana Yatra, the VHP leader Ashok Singhal said:"She will definitely be a part of the Yatra and whatever you are telling that she belongs to a low caste is completely false". Bharti, who is currently on a "Kshama Padyatra" (walkathon for forgiveness) from Bhopal to Ayodhya, had walked out of the BJP Legislature Party meeting that elected Shivraj Singh Chauhan to succeed Babulal Gaur as the 31st Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Senior VHP leader Giriraj Kishore said:" That if BJP parliamentary board had already decided on the new Chief Minister in Delhi so there was no need of legislature meeting in Bhopal on the same issue which seems to be quite controversial and which is why the whole dispute created".