BJP leadership, Bharti to let tempers cool

Day two after the televised exit of Uma Bharti saw a shocked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership come to terms with what happened on Wednesday.

The focus, according to senior party leaders, is now to effect some damage control in the entire episode.

According to BJP sources, the show-cause notice to be sent to Bharti was not dispatched today and is not likely to be served in the next few days.

"Tempers are being allowed to cool down, since Bharti has no real quarrel with the party president or the senior party leadership," said a senior leader.

Instead, the advice being sent through emissaries is that Bharti should lie low for the time being and not make any public statements on any senior leader for the next few weeks.

"Bharti, unlike others who have been removed earlier, has no real issues except her volatility, which led to her removal," said a senior party leader.

The Rashtriya Swaymsevak Sangh has, apparently, tried to play peacemaker in this situation and it is on its advice that Bharti will be going on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas to cool off and be unavailable to the press.

While BJP chief LK Advani is expectedly hurt at the public challenge to his authority during the office-bearers' meeting, he is aware that Bharti's anger was not targeted at him.

After a period of silence, Bharti will tender an apology to Advani. Bharti's supporters in the party are eager to effect a patch-up as she is an unbeatable OBC leader. "We have seen the effect Kalyan Singh's exit had on the UP unit, there is no need to drag this further," said the senior leader.

Whether the strategy will work according to the plan or Bharti will stymie efforts at a rehabilitation with another temper tantrum is yet to be seen. For the present, a sojourn in the freezing Himalayas seems to be atonement enough.