Uma Bharti appoints Rajendra Gupta as BJS's Delhi chief

New Delhi, Nov 16 (UNI) The BJP suffered a jolt when former Delhi Transport Minister Rajendra Gupta, one of the party's most senior leaders, left it to join the Uma Bharti-led Bhartiya Jana Shakti and take over as its head in the state.

Ms Bharti made the announcement of his appointment this afternoon, after welcoming Mr Gupta into the party fold. He will field the nominees in the coming elections to Municipal Council of Delhi, she added.

Ms Bharti, who was expelled from the party when a General Secretary said that if Mr Gupta -- who was associated with the party for 36 long years -- could leave the party, it could well be imagined how humiliating it was the honest leaders.

Mr Gupta's father Hansraj Gupta was a close associate of former RSS chief Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, popularly known as Guruji.

Asked about the role she had for former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, Ms Bharti said the party functioned with his blessings. ''We are sure he will bless us when we require his suppport,'' she remarked.

Mr Gupta, on his part, said he was leaving the BJP with a ''heavy heart'' because it was not possible to sever the relationship easily.

''However the party's principles and ideology stood eroded and grassroot activists were losing faith in the leadership, which tended to be dictatorial at times,'' he added.

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