Khurana non-committal on joining Uma's party

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) Former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana remained non-committal today on joining the Bharatiya Janshakti Party of expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti.

''I am still having consultations with different leaders and will make my stand clear by May end'', he said on return here from Ujjain where the new party was formally launched yesterday.

However, even while insisting that his Ujjain visit was as an ''observor'', Mr Khurana said he would meet Ms Bharti here on May 7 to ''discuss future course of action''.

To a question, he also expressed optimism over Ms Bharti's party posing a major challenge to the BJP.

''It can emerge as an alternative not just to the BJP, but also at the national level'', he said while pointing out that BJP workers in large numbers and from many states attended the new party's launch in Ujjain yesterday.

While making it clear that returning to power in Delhi to promote his vision of people-centric growth was his priority, Mr Khurana said he was in talks with parties in the National Democratic Alliance to broadbase the 'Delhi Bachao Morcha' that he has launched.

''At least 5-6 parties in the NDA will become part of our Morcha'', he asserted. At the same time, he refused to take questions on the 'Third Front' he proposed to launch in the capital.

Mr Khurana, who has quit the BJP and announced plans to contest against senior leader V K Malhotra in the next parliamentary polls, repeated that he was not opposing the BJP, but a coterie steering it away from issues affecting the masses.

UNI VN YA ND1844