Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Uma Bharti & BJP

Uma Bharti's suspension from the BJP for her opposition to the installation of Shivraj Singh Chauhan as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh has raised many questions. The BJP should have re-installed her as Chief Minister after the Karnataka Government withdrew the case against her. At least when a change of guard was imminent, she should have been consulted.

The manner in which the BJP treated her only gives the impression that the party needs her services for winning elections, but is unwilling to concede her genuine claim for leadership. It is the BJP that owes an explanation to Ms. Bharti and the people.

A.V. Narayana Sarma,
Secunderabad

The BJP's decision to crack the whip against Ms. Bharti is welcome. Her belligerence has severely dented the party's image. She has been suspended earlier too but it looks like the action had little impact on her. Nothing short of expulsion will do. It is true she has a large following. But the losses following action against her will be much less compared with long-term gains for the party.

N.K. Vijayan,
Kizhakkambalam, Kerala

No doubt Ms. Bharti is a mass leader and crowd puller. But in matters of discipline, she is a law unto herself. That she has been short-changed in the matter of Chief Ministership is clear. But that does not justify her defiance.

D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore

It appears that Ms. Bharti acts in a manner that reinforces her image as a fiery, rebellious leader. Her acts of indiscipline have enraged even the cool Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the past. That she should invoke the name of Lord Ram who symbolised sacrifice while protesting the denial of power to her is amusing.

J.V. Reddy,
Nellore, A.P.

Ms. Bharti seems to have a penchant for grabbing the headlines. The people are tired of her tantrums — challenging the leadership and then proclaiming that she will live and die for the party being the latest of her gimmicks. If her objective is uplift of the poor, she need not be a Chief Minister to achieve it.

K.J. Rao,
Secunderabad

Ms. Bharti is a firebrand leader with a huge mass base. The BJP needs her for electoral gains. At the same time, she has been a thorn in the party's flesh with her impulsive outbursts. Her actions are contradictory. On the one hand, she professes to be one who has renounced all worldly desires and, on the other, revolts when she is denied power.

P.U. Jitesh,
Karnal, Haryana

Sanyasins such as Ms. Bharti who retreat to the mountains in a huff for divine meditation whenever they are not able to get what they desire only to come back with renewed aggression are difficult to understand.

G. Radhakrishnan,
Thiruvananthapuram

It appears that this time the Hindutva icon will find it difficult to return to the party. But expelling Ms. Bharti may weaken it. It may intensify dissidence and possibly destabilise the Madhya Pradesh Government. Most important, it will enable the Congress to improve its prospects.

Vikram Kumar,
New Delhi

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