Uma Bharati meets dissidents, including Keshubhai Patel

Uma Bharti, founder of Bharatiya Janashakti Party is in Gujarat on a three-day visit. On the first day at Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Bharti met many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dissidents and appointed preacher-turned politician Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj as state head of her party.

Bharti stressed the need to expose Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's conspiracies and offered help to anyone who is on the task.

Bharti also met Vitthalbhai Pandya, father of slain BJP leader Haren Pandya. Bharti, known for her fiery speeches, accused Narendra Modi of having a direct hand in the murder of Haren Pandya.

She also announced the appointment of Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj, a preacher turned politician as the state head of Bharatiya Janashakti Party. Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj has also been in Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) founded by Shankarsinh Vaghela who is now Union minister for textiles and a top leader of Congress. Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj had also fought the 1998 Assembly elections from Gandhinagar against L K Advani of BJP and Congress' candidate P K Datta, Gujarat's former director general of police (DGP).

Later in the day, Bharti also met BJP dissident leaders including Keshubhai Patel.

Her meeting with the dissidents has once more sparked discussions in the political circles as there is vagueness on whether the dissidents will campaign for Congress or Bharatiya Janashakti Party in the state.

The speculations are rife with the recent announcement by the Gordhan Zadafiya that the banner of Sardar Patel Utkarsha Samiti, a party formed by dissident BJP leaders, will not be used to fight the coming assembly polls.

However, iZadafiya had said the members of Sardar Patel Utkarsha Samiti are open to campaigning for anti-Narendra Modi parties like Congress or Bharatiya Janashakti Party in the state.

Uma Bharti came down heavily on Narendra Modi and claimed that Modi has nothing to do with Hindutva. She met Vitthalbhai Pandya, father of slain BJP leader Haren Pandya, and after the meeting stressed the need to expose Narendra Modi's conspiracies.

She directly held Modi responsible for the death of Haren Pandya. She also offered to provide any help to anyone who wants to expose Modi's conspiracies.