MP Government hastening its own downfall:Uma

New Delhi, June 10 (UNI) Flaying the ''police atrocities'' on her party workers in Gwalior, Bharatiya Janshakti chief and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti today said the state government is ''inviting its own end by indulging in such cowardly and irresponsible action''.

Ms Bharti, who is on a padayatra from Rameshwaram to Kedarnath, condemned the ''arbitrary manner'' in which the police arrested her close associate and party leader Pritam Singh Lodhi early today.

''The police resorted to lathicharge and even opened fire on the people who came on to the streets in protest against the incident, leaving several badly injured. This is inhumane and deplorable,'' she said.

Blaming Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the incident, Ms Bharti alleged that he was giving instructions to the state police bypassing the hierarchy and ''forgetting the dignity of the position he held''. ''Senior BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Rajnath Singh owe an explanation to the people for giving such a person Madhya Pradesh's top post,'' she added.

She claimed the government had targetted Mr Lodhi, who had worked zealously for the BJP in the past, because he was organising the padayatra at Gwalior and was also entrusted with the responsibility of membership enrollment. ''I am only sorry that the BJP has forgotten his sacrifice for the party just because he sided with me.

They did nothing against the Congressmen but instead they are behaving as a B-Team of that party,'' she said.

Ms Bharti said she wanted the state government to complete its term despite the BJP's recent ''wrong actions'' but its cowardly and irresponsible steps would only hasten its downfall. ''It will get crushed because of its own follies in months if not weeks.'' UNI MCN RR KN1531