Bharati continues to spit fire

Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharati continued to be defiant today, a day after the deadline to reply to a show cause notice pending expulsion expired.

Mounting a blistering attack on the BJP leadership, Bharati today alleged that the party as well its chief LK Advani and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were held hostage by a group of "terrorist hijacker leaders who are devoid of ideology and principles".

Addressing a rally, she asked Vajpayee and Advani to "break their silence against injustice". "Those holding them hostage have been trying to fulfil their personal interests under the garb of enforcing discipline," she said.

She took on the entire second rung of the BJP leadership including Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj saying representation for backwards and ideologically-inclined was lacking in the party's parliamentary board.

"It is a board that represents 10 per cent and not the 90 per cent of the country, which comprises the deprived," she said disclosing her reply to the party notice.

Asking sants of Ayodhya not to snatch her right to visit the Ram temple as she was a Hindu, Bharti in a veiled attack on Advani said "one derives strength from paying respects at the feet of Ram, and not by offering flowers at Jinnah's tomb."

Referring to Vajpayee's overtures of peace towards Pakistan, which were betrayed by the Kargil war, she added, "Pakistan can betray us, not Ram, which is why Vajpayee went to Lahore and I am going to Ayodhya," the former chief minister added.

Claiming that Ram was the identity of the country and allowed the BJP to rule and its leaders to gain important posts, she said "I have never used the name of Ram to realise political goals. I derive strength from him."

Alleging that the BJP had forgotten the Ram temple issue after gaining power, she said "by forming the government it does not mean that Ram should be forgotten."

"I will wait for both the leaders to reply and correct the flaws within the party during my march to Ayodhya. If I get no response, I will decide my future course of action at the feet of Ram and declare it at Delhi," she said.

"This cannot happen. We sweat on the streets and eat dust while you get butter," Bharati said. Ruling out formation of a new party in the event of her expulsion, she said, "I am not as strong as other leaders. I lack courage. I will only ask Vajpayee and Advani to correct the party in its current form."

The BJP, meanwhile, maintained that they were yet to receive Bharati's reply. Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said gross indiscipline would not be tolerated.

"It cannot be that when decisions are in your favour the party is good and when there are decisions that you do not like then the party is bad," he said. Sources said Bharati could be expelled tomorrow after a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board.