Firebrand leader Sadhvi Uma Bharti on Monday set at rest all speculation about her joining politics by announcing that she would remain apolitical but extend full cooperation to the BJP in its fight against corruption and criminalisation of politics in Uttar Pradesh.
Talking to mediapersons in Bhopal, Ms Bharti said that she had been invited to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, but had responded by telling BJP president Nitin Gadkari and senior party leader L.K. Advani on Sunday that without taking BJP’s membership she would extend full cooperation to the party in Uttar Pradesh. Ms Bharti said that she has told the top BJP leaders that they should treat her support as a blank cheque.
Ms Bharti came down heavily against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati and former chief minister Mulayam Singh saying that the state has suffered a lot under their “misrule and narrow divisive politics”.
To a pointed query, Ms Bharti said: “I am not quitting politics but becoming apolitical for the time being.” She further said deliberations are on between her party — Bhartiya Jan Shakti — and NDA to explore the possibility of coming together
Ms Bharti also criticised Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh saying that he is responsible for “spreading lot of dirt” for the sake of vote bank politics. She especially targeted the Congress leader for continuously using the term “Bhagwa Atankwad” (saffron terror) and making public his conversation with slain Maharashtra anti-terrorist squad chief Hemant Karkare.