Khurana-Uma announce joint fight against BJP

New Delhi, Apr 9: Ending days of suspense, two former Bharatiya Janata Party stalwarts Uma Bharti and Madan Lal Khurana today made it clear they are going to jointly challenge the party and strive for a ''new bend'' in Indian politics.

''This is the beginning of a new political era in Indian politics. Ours is a struggle for both 'roti' (food) and Ram,'' Ms Bharti, the expelled BJP leader, told a news conference along with Mr Khurana, who was suspended from the party for attending Ms Bharti's rally here last month.

Without saying what name their new political front would have or giving any other details, she indicated launching a platform where issues closer to the poor would find resonance along with matters related to the Hindutva school.

The BJP's Hindutva politics stood exposed when the then party chief L K Advani apologised for the Ayodhya demolition during his trip to Pakistan while its promise of providing clean politics lay in tatters when it sought electoral help from UP politician Mukhtar Ansari, who is accused of many crimes, she said.

The Congress and Left parties that claim to champion the cause of the poor have a poor track record on implementing promises, she added.

Though he kept repeating his resolve to fight the wrongs being done to ''my Delhi'' most of the time, Mr Khurana admitted while answering questions that he would ''travel with Umaji all over the country after Delhi's 'battle' and fight the wrongs being done in the BJP''.

He refused to take questions on the proposed new political front saying it would be decided only after he finished the 'Delhi Bachao Sangharsh Yatra' which he started yesterday to protest the ongoing demolition and sealing drives of municipal authorities against illegal constructions and commercial establishments in the capital.

To a question, he, however, ruled out accepting the BJP state chief's post once again in Delhi. ''There is no question of that now'', he said.

The former Delhi CM had announced yesterday that he would return to electoral politics in Delhi once again. But he did not clarify today from what party platform he would contest future polls.

To a question, Ms Bharti supported his demand that the Centre bring an Ordinance to end the demolition and sealing drives in Delhi.

''When the Centre can bring an Ordinance in the Shah Bano case, why can't it bring an Ordinance now when the interests of lakhs of people is at stake,'' she said.

Mr Khurana said he would start a fast unto death in front of the Prime Minister's residence on completion of his 7-day 'Yatra' to highlight these issues. While praising Mr Khurana's leadership qualities and lashing out at her critics in the BJP, Ms Bharti said there was need to re-steer politics towards the basic issues of food and unemployment.

''Yeh roti ki ladayi hai,'' she told her audience even as charging unnamed BJP leaders with committing a ''sin'' (paap) by ''reducing'' Mr Khurana to a ''powerless'' Governor.

''We are part of the same family,'' she said.

UNI

UNI