11-19-2007, 03:53 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Wary of alienation, Uma mulls comeback </b>
Pioneer.com
Kumar Uttam | New DelhiÂ
Bharatiya Jan Shakti chief Uma Bharati's recent meetings with BJP bigwigs have once again fuelled speculation on her possible return to the BJP. Although the chances of an immediate "re-union" are being ruled out, BJP sources say that Uma's attempt to reach out to the senior party leaders might bear fruit in the days to come.
<b>Confirmed reports have it that the BJS chief met former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi last week to seek his "blessings and guidance" - something that is being seen as her attempt to get back to the BJP. The meeting lasted for more than an hour.</b>
What further fuelled speculation was a recent luncheon meeting between Uma and a close confidant of BJP chief Rajnath Singh, who facilitated a telephonic conversation between the party president and the BJS chief.
However, the meeting between Uma and a top BJP leader, who is being persuaded by the spiritual guru of the BJS chief, could not take place even though it was scheduled for Friday.
<b>While Rajnath remained non-committal, it was conveyed to Uma that there was not a single roadblock in her way to rejoin the BJP.</b>
"The Madhya Pradesh unit is averse to her return. Some senior party leaders also want to keep her out. Her opponents in the BJP say there is no guarantee that she would not behave in the manner she had a couple of years ago," well-placed BJP sources told The Pioneer.
Uma was suspended from the BJP in November 2004 for an outburst against senior party leaders in full glare of electronic media. Following RSS pressure, her suspension was revoked in May 2005 and she was appointed as a member of the party's national executive. Finally, she was expelled from the BJP in 2005 for revolting against the appointment of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.
<b>Leaders close to Uma accepted the threat of getting "politically irrelevant", following the continued dismal performance of her party in the last by-elections for the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. The setback has compelled her to think of getting back to the BJP. </b>
It is common knowledge that VHP patriarch Ashok Singhal is batting for Uma and it was on his assurance that she had withdrawn her candidates in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, early this year. She also did not field BJS contestants for the Lok Sabha by-elections for two seats in Madhya Pradesh, held in March 2007. The BJP candidate for Gwalior was the daughter of her mentor, the late Vijayaraje Scindia.Â
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Pioneer.com
Kumar Uttam | New DelhiÂ
Bharatiya Jan Shakti chief Uma Bharati's recent meetings with BJP bigwigs have once again fuelled speculation on her possible return to the BJP. Although the chances of an immediate "re-union" are being ruled out, BJP sources say that Uma's attempt to reach out to the senior party leaders might bear fruit in the days to come.
<b>Confirmed reports have it that the BJS chief met former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi last week to seek his "blessings and guidance" - something that is being seen as her attempt to get back to the BJP. The meeting lasted for more than an hour.</b>
What further fuelled speculation was a recent luncheon meeting between Uma and a close confidant of BJP chief Rajnath Singh, who facilitated a telephonic conversation between the party president and the BJS chief.
However, the meeting between Uma and a top BJP leader, who is being persuaded by the spiritual guru of the BJS chief, could not take place even though it was scheduled for Friday.
<b>While Rajnath remained non-committal, it was conveyed to Uma that there was not a single roadblock in her way to rejoin the BJP.</b>
"The Madhya Pradesh unit is averse to her return. Some senior party leaders also want to keep her out. Her opponents in the BJP say there is no guarantee that she would not behave in the manner she had a couple of years ago," well-placed BJP sources told The Pioneer.
Uma was suspended from the BJP in November 2004 for an outburst against senior party leaders in full glare of electronic media. Following RSS pressure, her suspension was revoked in May 2005 and she was appointed as a member of the party's national executive. Finally, she was expelled from the BJP in 2005 for revolting against the appointment of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.
<b>Leaders close to Uma accepted the threat of getting "politically irrelevant", following the continued dismal performance of her party in the last by-elections for the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. The setback has compelled her to think of getting back to the BJP. </b>
It is common knowledge that VHP patriarch Ashok Singhal is batting for Uma and it was on his assurance that she had withdrawn her candidates in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, early this year. She also did not field BJS contestants for the Lok Sabha by-elections for two seats in Madhya Pradesh, held in March 2007. The BJP candidate for Gwalior was the daughter of her mentor, the late Vijayaraje Scindia.Â
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