Khurana quits Uma's party

Khurana says Bharti didn't consult him before withdrawing all her party candidates from the UP Assembly elections.

Angry with Bhartiya Jan Shakti Chief Uma Bharti for withdrawing all her party candidates from the UP Assembly elections following an appeal by VHP and BJP against a split in Hindu votes, Madan Lal Khurana on Saturday resigned as the party's working president.

The former chief minister of Delhi, who quit the BJP last year and had joined Bharti's party two months ago, complained that she had not consulted him before taking the step. He said he would now work towards forming a third front in Delhi. Under his leadership, the Bhartiya Jan Shakti had fared poorly in the Capital's recent municipal polls.

Khurana told newspersons he was talking to several non-BJP, non-Congress parties for floating a third front which would get support from a wide cross section of the people.

On Friday, Bharti announced that she was pulling out her party's candidates from UP polls as she did not want a division in the Hindu votes. A day earlier, VHP Chief Ashok Singhal had appealed to her and other parties to do so in the interest of the Hindutva forces and early construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

HT Image