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Expel Advani, Uma dares BJP

`No bigger indiscipline than appreciating Jinnah'

Faizabad: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and expelled party leader Uma Bharti on Friday dared the party leadership to remove Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani from the party for "his acts of gross indiscipline".

Launching an attack on the BJP leadership on the culmination of her over a month long Bhopal-to-Ayodhya "Ram-Roti Yatra", Ms. Bharti said if the BJP leadership had guts, it should take action against Mr. Advani for openly appreciating founder of Pakistan Mohd. Ali Jinnah.

"What could be a bigger indiscipline than apologising for the Ayodhya incident and appreciating Jinnah for single-handedly creating Pakistan in that country," she said addressing a rally here.

Ms. Bharti also referred to the reported statement of newly-elected BJP national president Rajnath Singh that the party could consider her re-entry into the party fold, if they received a request from her. While refraining from naming Mr Singh, she said on the contrary the BJP should take action against Mr. Advani.

But at the same time the "sanyasin" was all praise for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his efforts towards the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. "At one point of time, Mr. Vajpayee was even ready to sacrifice the NDA government at the Centre for the sake of the Temple," she claimed.

Ms Bharti, however, lamented that some BJP leaders were able to convince the former Prime Minister otherwise. "They told him that the Feel Good Factor and India Shining Campaign would return BJP to power...the two factors helped -- the opposition parties instead."

Referring to the Ram-Roti Yatra which she began on November 28 from Bhopal immediately after her expulsion from the BJP, the Ayodhya movement leader said the 750 km yatra was not aimed against the BJP.

"BJP is an ideology against which I cannot go...but the party these days is being managed by some vultures," she said.

She also denied that the Yatra was a result of her anger over not being made the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. "Even without being the CM, I have the support of the people of MP which is now plagued with corruption," she said. She said she would end her Yatra at Hanuman Garhi in the adjoining temple town of Ayodhya. "But I am addressing the people here as Lord Hanuman is against politics."

With her legs bandaged, Ms Bharti reached the venue with at least three thousand supporters, including Some BJP MLAs from Madhya Pradesh, accompanying her. People from Sagar had accompanied her during the last leg of the Yatra. While she received open support from Shiv Sena and VHP, very few lower rung BJP leaders could be seen at the venue.

Her `guru' Vishwer Tirath Tejeshwar Swami from Udipi in Karnataka was also with her.

"I had become a Sanyasin after entering politics...people think it is the other way round," she explained. -- UNI

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