Uma comes to defence of Vajpayee, saysVP spreading 'imaginary tale'

New Delhi, Jun 29 (UNI) Expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti today came to the defence of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying that the claims of Jan Morcha leader V P Singh that Mr Vajpayee was disgusted with the BJP and contemplated leaving the party was nothing but 'imaginary fiction'.

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister who, is currently on her Yatra from Rameshwaram to Kedarnath, told UNI on phone that she was an 'eye witness' to the ''troubles and turmoil'' underwent by Mr Vajpayee during the 1980s and the 1990s as a closest associate, but he ''never thought of leaving the BJP even for a minute.'' Ms Bharti, who has launched her own Bharatiya Janashakti Party after her expulsion from the BJP, said she learnt a lot from Mr Vajpayee about how one should be a party loyalist despite all sufferings. Asked about her own leaving the party, the Sadhvi retorted that she ''did not leave BJP but BJP left me.'' She said after reading newspaper reports quoting Mr Singh's book 'Manzil Se Zyada Safar', (Travel beyond the destination), she felt ''sorry for him.'' ''He should remove these portions from the book because it was not true at all. Atalji is totally committed to the BJP and one should learn things from him,'' she said.

Ms Bharti however took a dig at senior BJP leader L K Advani, saying he and the BJP had no right to speak about personalities like RSS leaders Hedgewar and Guru Golwalakar after praising Pakistan's founder Mohd Ali Jinnah.

UNI MCN VD HT1705