Efforts on to form platform with like-minded parties: Uma

Chennai, May 22: Bharatiya Jansakthi Party Founder Uma Bharti today announced she would establish a common platform along with like-minded parties in a couple of months to provide an alternative to the Congress, BJP and Left parties.

The firebrand leader, who was here on the tenth day of her 'Bharat Protection Yatra' which commenced in Rameswaram on May 13, said the intiative might start in Tamil Nadu as she had received tremendous response and support from the people during her 'yatra.' ''I am in touch with leaders of some political parties and there are offers for merger of some parties. Tamil Nadu may become my experimental ground,'' she said.

Assailing the BJP for having ''deviated from its ideology,'' she said the party, which was ''craving for power,'' was even ready for a compromise with the Congress.

''I regret for not having come out of the BJP at least three years ago. If I would have done so, I could have worked more and also retained my credibility,'' she remarked.

Ms Bharti said the BJP tried to defame her by accusing her of attempting to create a division in the Hindu movement by floating a separate party and thereby, indirectly supporting the Congress.

''When I rebutted the charge by announcing that I am prepared for a seat-sharing agreement with the BJP in future elections, they became silent,'' she claimed.

Stressing the need to provide an alternative to four national parties, Ms Bharti alleged that while the Congress had surrendered to a foreign leadership, the BJP and the Left parties had fallen from their respective ideologies. She said her party would be based on five principles viz self-respect, security, swadeshi, swaraj and clean politics. ''I extend an open invitation to those who agree to our principles, to join hands with us,'' she added.

On whether her launching a new party would not weaken the Hindu Movement espoused by the BJP, Ms Bharti said it would only weaken the BJP leaders. ''It is for them to introspect. I don't want to go into my previous birth (tenure in BJP) as I feel like a baby now,'' she remarked.

Welcoming the proposed 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions as ''the need of the hour,'' Ms Bharti said the Centre should first evolve a consensus on the issue and convince the people. Instead of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, the Centre should not widen it, she added.

She alleged that Union Human Resources Minister Arjun Singh had hurriedly made the announcement on reservation with a political motive.

UNI