Uma to form a new political party

New Delhi: Expelled BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh (MP) chief minister, Uma Bharti, has hinted at forming a new saffron party.

The sanyasin has appealed to her supporters to get ready for a political party that embraces Ram and not Jinnah.

She has also asked the current BJP president L K Advani to quit the party saying that the present BJP is a party minus its ideology.

"The party is occupied by people who never had any idea about what Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stood for," she added.

She said that the recent spectacle of MPs being caught on camera taking money for asking questions in Parliament is a result of this lack of ideology.

Dispelling speculations about her political career collapsing after being expelled from BJP, Uma claimed that Lord Rama's name will prevent her from "sinking".

"Rama's name is written on me. I will not sink, like the stones used for 'Ram Setu' (a floating bridge constructed across the Indian Ocean with stones carrying Rama's name in the epic Ramayana)," Bharati said at a public meet during her march to Ayodhya at Sehora in Madhya Pradesh.

She claimed that unlike Arjun Singh and other leaders, who were left with little support after leaving their respective political parties, she enjoyed "tremendous backing" of the people.

"The fight is not for Bhopal. The real contest is for Delhi. It is about the right heir to Deen Dayal Upadhyay," she claimed, and reiterated that she is the "real BJP".

She said that the support of the party workers will decide the BJP heir. "Those having more number of sticks (people's support) will carry the flags," she said.

Claiming that she was alone, when she started the march from Bhopal, the sadhvi said scores of party workers and people have joined her on the way showering love and affection.

Referring to the leadership change in Madhya Pradesh, she accused BJP of "insulting its general secretary by ignoring my request for secret ballot" during the legislature party meet that elected Shivraj Singh Chauhan as its leader in Bhopal on November 28.

"The MLAs are keeping quiet against the injustice as they are afraid that action might be taken against them under the garb of anti-party activities," she alleged.

Alleging betrayal by senior BJP leaders, Bharati told reporters in Mugarau village, "I have been in politics like an innocent child. I considered senior leaders of my party as my family. But, I forgot that they were also leaders."

She claimed that she had started a new life and will bear in mind people's sentiments in all her future endeavours.

Claiming that some BJP leaders were "fearful" of her, she asked them to "recite Hanuman Chalisa to dispel the fear."

Accusing Congress of "misusing" Mahatma Gandhi's name and BJP of "deviating" from Deen Dayal Upadhyay's ideology, she alleged that political parties have "endangered" the country as "a few people in Delhi frame their own policies and force others to follow."

Uma, who raised the banner of revolt after being denied the chief ministership of Madhya Pradesh, is on a Ram Roti yatra through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

(With inputs from Hemendra Sharma in Bhopal)