Uma Bharti to launch new party in 90 days

Ruling out her return to the "pseudo-BJP" which she alleged has been "hijacked by a gang of 50", expelled leader Uma Bharti on Friday announced plans to launch a party after three months.

She also slammed the party top brass including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani as "non-performers".

Addressing the meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club of India here, the stormy petrel of saffron politics vowed to "root out the foreign elements" from Indian politics and form governments in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in the next Assembly elections.

Bharti, who had been consistently maintaining that she had never sought the post of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, asked, "what was immoral if I had demanded the top post. It was like stealing my baby and giving it to somebody. Even if I could not be made, we could have decided on a name together."

Attacking new BJP President Rajnath Singh, she said, "those who are taking out 'Nyaya Yatras' and begging for justice cannot do injustice to me. They have done injustice to ideology, betrayed the people of Madhya Pradesh and insulted millions of party workers."

"You cannot have Ram and Jinnah together. There should not be double standards. There has to be clarity of thoughts. Rajnath Singh will have to clarify who is the real party - the Leader of Opposition praising Jinnah in Pakistan or the party chief swearing by Hindutva outside Jhandewalan (RSS headquarters in Delhi)."

She said the recent changes in key BJP panels was akin to a shopkeeper changing the position of his goods in the shop.