Uma Bharati's 'yatra' to focus on new party
by Chandrika Jain

    New Delhi: Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharati has said that her planned 'Jan-Adesh Yatra' in February will focus on getting support for her new party's cause from people in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. "The march is a political one. That is why I have to understand the support in the states where elections are going to be held soon. Hence I would be going to Uttar Pradesh as the BJP has a strong presence, ruled by regional Samajwadi party. But first, I would be going to Uttaranchal where Congress has the main power, ' Uma Bharati (Bharati) said.

   Coming down heavily on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior BJP leader LK Advani, Uma Bharati said, "This should have been the duty of Atal and Advani to protect my reputation. They said that I was annoyed because I was not offered the Chief Minister's post (of Madhya Pradesh). It was not that I wanted to be the state chief. I just wanted that somebody be chosen who was acceptable to the public and me too." After completing her Bhopal to Ayodhya 'Ram-Roti Yatra' on January 17, Uma Bharati had claimed that questions on ideology often arose when the focus shifted from "politics of ideology" to "politics of power". She said party would have to "face the consequences" for this shift. Uma Bharati is expected to meet some members of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) and BJP leaders before leaving for Hyderabad to address a public meeting. The BJP had expelled Uma Bharati from the primary membership of the party early last month for anti-party activities. The BJP had held that Uma's remarks and behavior in the recent past were against the discipline of the party and the language used by her was derogatory. The BJP itself has been bitterly divided over Advani with many leaders feeling the party's roots steeped in staunch Hindutva are being tampered with and Uma Bharati (Bharati) has been drumming support with the hardliner group. BJP has been struggling for direction since losing national elections in May 2004 year, seemingly unsure whether to pitch itself as a moderate force in Indian politics or pander to its Hindu nationalist supporters. After a nearly year-long cold war with the Hindu ideologues, Advani was forced to step down as the BJP president and christened a grassroots leader Rajnath Singh as his successor. Advani was seen as a champion of the hardliners, but had steered a more moderate line of late before quitting as BJP chief.

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