Uma to launch new party on April 30 in Varanasi

New Delhi, Mar 21 (UNI) Expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti today announced formation of a new party with a new flag and new symbol but with the same ideology and philosophy of the party she was evicted from last December.

'Aggressive nationalism' and 'Ram and Roti for all' would be the 'base mantra' of the new party for a '21st century India', the firebrand sanyasin said.

Addressing a rally, in the company of another expelled BJP stalwart Madan Lal Khurana among others, Ms Bharti said she would be launching her new party on April 30 in Varanasi.

Invoking the blessings of ''Atalji'', as Advani had 'discarded' Ram to praise Jinnah, for her new initiative she said her party would incorporate the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay and Shyama Prasad Mukherji where 'living with dignity' and 'Ram and Roti for all' would be the catch phrases of the 21st century Bharat she had dreamt of.

''I would be giving a new name to the BJP and a new face to it which has lost its moorings and the age-old beliefs and philosophies it was founded on.'' It would be a new body given to the ''free soul'' of the BJP that would derive its strength from the 'Panchnistha' of 'swabhiman', 'suraksha', 'swadeshi', 'suchita', and 'suraj', she added.

Referring to her integral past with the BJP, she said, ''I do not claim any different ideology or philosophy from others but we would be known by our character.'' Brandishing the same tenets of the party she left like 'uniform civil code', 'Ram Mandir', 'respect for the constitution and the cow by all' and 'aggressive nationalism', the former BJP leader said she would be happy to see the BJP decay and disintegrate as it had lost its 'atma' (soul), after she left it.

''I would then ask the BJP leaders to join my party and the struggle to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.'' Ms Bharti was accompanied on stage by leaders of various hues who included Madan Lal Khurana, Ajay and Abhay Chautala, Sonelala Patel, Ramasheesh Rai, Harsharan Singh Balli and former Union ministers Sanghpriya Gautam, Prahlad Patel, Swami Chinmayanand and Tapan Sikdar besides Gaurishankar Shejwar, Ravindra Shukla and Basavraj Patil.

UNI AN RP KN1830