Uma suspended from BJP once again

Stormy petrel given three days' time to respond to show cause notice

Former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharati was finally suspended from the BJP and served a show cause notice asking her why she should not be expelled for her 'comments and statements', which constituted anti-party activity.

Bharati and 17 MLAs of the BJP had walked out of a party legislative meet convened to elect Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the next chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Bharati had claimed the chair for herself and her supporters went on a rampage outside the venue of the meet. As if that was not enough, she made inflammatory statements against her own party leaders accusing them of conspiring against her.

This came barely barely four days after she was appointed BJP national general secretary, as a sop for not being restored to the chief minister's chair. She has been given three days to respond to the notice.

The decision to suspend her was taken at a BJP parliamentary board meeting chaired by party president L K Advani. The board meeting was attended among others by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"The attention of the board was drawn to her conduct and statements over the last few days and it was of the opinion that these constituted anti-party activity. It was decided to suspend her from the primary membership of the party. A show cause notice would be served to her with three days time to respond as to why she should not be expelled from the party," BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said in a brief statement.

The decision was based on a report submitted to the party president by Arun Jaitley and Pramod Mahajan, who were present at the legislative party meeting on Monday as observers when the incident took place.

Bharati was suspended from the party last November also after she dared Advani to take action against her at a meeting of party's central office bearers. That time the RSS had supported her and played an active role in getting her back into the party fold.

Bharati has no friends left in the RSS this time round, since she accused RSS office bearer in charge of co-ordinating with the BJP, Suresh Soni and BJP organisational secertary and Sangh man Sanjay Joshi of undue interference.

Bharati remained unrepentent and declared that she would live and die for the party and that she "would respond to the show cause notice."

She is currently on a padyatra from Bhopa to Ayodhya.