Ms Uma Bharti Endorses Advani’s Stand on her, But Remains Non-Committal on Her Political Plans

Bhopal, December 12 (Pervez Bari): Hindutva leader Ms Uma Bharti, once the stormy petrel of Indian politics, while endorsing each and every word written by veteran Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), leader L. K. Advani in his December 11 blog, true to her nature kept newspersons guessing as to what would be her course of action on the political horizon of the country.

Addressing a Press conference in the lawns of her backyard of her residence here on Sunday she said she would take two to three months time to decide whether to remain apolitical or to adopt a political roadmap to serve the common man. She announced that soon after January 14 next year the draft of her plans would be ready and she would make it public.

She parried all direct questions on her joining BJP and remained non-committal to contest elections from Uttar Pradesh. However, she all along maintained that whatever Advani had written about her in his blog was cent per cent and word by word true. This stand of her kept the newsmen present at the Press conference bewildered as they tried every weapon in their armory to extract direct answers on their queries in the backdrop of what Advani had written on his blog. She was the same Ms Uma Bharti today who used to get annoyed whenever in the past newsmen used to niggle her about rejoining BJP. She would then lecture down the questioner as to how BJP leaders who did not have a mass following as her treacherously conspired against her to sideline her politically. She would then resolutely say she would never rejoin BJP and warn the questioner not to raise such questions about BJP in the future.

It may be pointed out here that Advani on December 11 in his blog had indicated that Ms Uma Bharti would return to the party soon to firm up the organization in Uttar Pradesh and contest elections from the state. He wrote on his blog that "Uma spoke to me, and on my advice, agreed that she would concentrate hereafter on strengthening the party unit in Uttar Pradesh, which ....Had become greatly enfeebled. She said she would like to contest also from Uttar Pradesh." Ms Bharti praised Advani to the skies saying there is no other political leader on the political horizon of India who is as honest and spotless as him. “Mera Aur Advaniji Ka Rishta Baap Aur Beti Ka Hai Jo Hamesha Rahega. Woh Mere Neta Hamesha Rahenge. Gadkariji (BJP president Nitin Gadkari) Bhi Emaandar Neta Hain Aur Woh Mere Bade Bhai Ke Samaan Hain”, she quipped.
It will not be out of place to recall that addressing a huge rally of her own political outfit Bhartiya Janshakti Party a few years back Ms Bharti had run down Advani for aspiring to become Prime Minister of India. She Had then slammed him saying: “Advani Tum Kiya Samjhte Ho Aisehi Pradhan Mantri Banjaoge. Dilli Mein Baithkar Tum Pradhan Mantri Nahin Bansakte. Iskeliye Ghareebon Ka Dard Sunne Keliye Gaon Gaon, Ghar Ghar, Bhatakna Padta Hai Aur Unka Dukh-Dard Bandte Huye Unki Samasiya Ko Hal Karne Ki Koshish Karna Padti Hai.” Ms Bharti bitter about her expulsion from BJP was at her aggressive best then while addressing her party workers when she did not even spare the BJP for pushing her to a corner of the political horizon. It may be recalled here that Ms Bharti was expelled from BJP in 2005 and thereafter she went on to form her own Bhartiya Janshakti Party, of which she still claims to be a member after quitting its president’s post.
Meanwhile, Ms Bharti said in the next two to three months she would take tours to meet people from Uttar Pradesh to Vidarbha with in-between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan also to interact with them and understand their woes and plights. She argued that to serve people and fight aberrations in the society it is not necessary to join any political party.
She said the country is facing some national and social issues which can be tackled by making contributions without belonging to any political class. She listed a number of issues of which to build consensus on construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, quota for backward women in reservation for women and infiltration from Bangladesh in the North-Eastern Indian states is on her priority list. The other issues which she would focus later on include: corruption, criminalization of politics, the ever increasing yawning gap between the rich and the poor and the problems of increasing money-power and use of electronic voting machines in polls. Ms Bharti, who is a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, also parried all questions about the working of BJP Government in the state with stock reply of “no comments”. She even reprimanded a questioner saying: “Do not try to put words into my mouth. If you have anything against BJP then you can release your pent up anger or frustration by writing an article on it”. (pervezbari@eth.net)