Uma Bharti
Encyclopedia
Uma Ragini Bharti (born May 3, 1959, Tikamgarh
, Madhya Pradesh
, India
), is an Indian politician. She was born in Tikamgarh District
, Madhya Pradesh
to a religious Lodhi
Rajput family and from a very young age, started holding discourses on Indian Epics.Her father was an atheist. Raised under the care of the late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia
of Gwalior, Uma Bharati, along with Sadhvi Ritambhara
, played a prominent part in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi
Movement. Her signature slogan during the movement was, "राम-लाला हम आएंगे, मदिंर वही बनाएंगे!" ("Ramlala Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge") which translates to "Dear Ram come we will, build a temple there we will".
At a young age, she became involved with the Bharatiya Janata Party
. She contested her first Parliamentary elections in 1984, but lost. In 1989, she successfully contested the Khajurao
seat, and retained it in elections conducted in 1991, 1996 and 1998. In 1999, she switched over and won the Bhopal
seat. In the Vajpayee Administration, she held various state-level portfolios of Human Resource Development, Tourism, Youth Affairs & Sports, and finally Coal & Mines.
In the 2003 Assembly polls, she led the BJP to a three fourths majority in Madhya Pradesh
. She defeated her Congress opponent from the Malehra seat with a 25% margin.
Uma Bharati resigned from the post of Chief Minister in August 2004, when an arrest warrant
was issued against her regarding the 1994 Hubli riot case.
"till further action" and served a show-cause notice asking why she should not be expelled following her outburst against Lal Krishna Advani
, in full glare of Television cameras. However, due to RSS pressure, her suspension was revoked and in May 2005, she was appointed as a member of the party's national executive.
Later in the year, she was expelled from the BJP when she revolted against the appointment of Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and for allegations of being digvijay singh's paramour. Post explusion, she undertook a herculean 'padyatra' from Bhopal to Ayodhya and called it the Ram Roti Yatra
(spiritual journey for Rama
and bread).
Later Uma Bharti found sympathisers in many dissiden BJP leaders like Madan Lal Khurana
and Sangh Priya Gautam
and tried to revive a new Hindu movement, which proved unsuccessful.
Though Uma Bharati drew huge crowds during her Ram Roti Yatra and campaign for various by-elections, her political fortunes have taken a nosedive. Her political outfit, called the BJSP (Bharatiya Janshakti Party
) lost the by-election for her assembly seat of Bada Malehra, even though Uma Bharati had campaigned extensively for her candidate. BJSP has also experienced defeats in all Lok Sabha bypolls which the party has contested.
Though a section of the RSS
and the BJP have been trying to get Bharati back into the BJP, neither an embittered Bharati, who has sworn revenge nor powerful politicians like Arun Jaitley
or Sushma Swaraj
want her back in the BJP. Speculation was further fueled when she did not field BJS contestants for 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. In another major turn of events, she agreed to withdraw her candidates to the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections at the request of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief, Ashok Singhal
. Till date, both Uma and the BJP dismiss any speculation about her return to the party is , but media reports suggest she may return within a few months, in a move that will be co-ordinated by her allies within the BJP and RSS.
saying that the bridge be saved.
by party president Nitin Gadkari
Tikamgarh
Tikamgarh is a city and a tehsil, in Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, it also the district headquarter. The earlier name of the town was 'Tehri' consisting of three hamlets, forming a rough triangle. In the Tikamgarh town there is muhalla still known as 'Purani Tehri'...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), is an Indian politician. She was born in Tikamgarh District
Tikamgarh District
Tikamgarh district is one of the 50 districts of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. Tikamgarh town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Sagar Division....
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
to a religious Lodhi
Lodhi
Lodhi is a Batani Pashtun tribe mainly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were part of a wave of Pashtuns who pushed east into what is today Pakistan. Often accompanying the Timurids who conquered South Asia, the Lodhi established themselves during the Islamic period as a Muslim ruling class...
Rajput family and from a very young age, started holding discourses on Indian Epics.Her father was an atheist. Raised under the care of the late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia
Vijayaraje Scindia
Vijayaraje Scindia born Lekha Divyeshwari and until 1970 styled the Rajmata of Gwalior, was a prominent Indian political personality. In the days of the British Raj, as consort of the last ruling Maharaja of Gwalior, she ranked among the highest royal figures of the land...
of Gwalior, Uma Bharati, along with Sadhvi Ritambhara
Sadhvi Ritambhara
Sadhvi Rithambara is a Hindu political activist, member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. She was the founding chairperson of Durga Vahini , the women's wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. She is particularly known for her incendiary anti-Muslim oratory...
, played a prominent part in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi
Ram Janmabhoomi
Ram Janmabhoomi is the "Birthplace of Lord Rama."Lord Rama is a major God in Hindu theology and the Hindu religion where He is described as an Avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. The exact location of Lord Rama's birth as stated in holy Ramayan as being in the city of Ayoudhya in Uttar Pardesh...
Movement. Her signature slogan during the movement was, "राम-लाला हम आएंगे, मदिंर वही बनाएंगे!" ("Ramlala Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge") which translates to "Dear Ram come we will, build a temple there we will".
At a young age, she became involved with the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
. She contested her first Parliamentary elections in 1984, but lost. In 1989, she successfully contested the Khajurao
Khajuraho (Lok Sabha constituency)
Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. This constituency came in to existence in 1957...
seat, and retained it in elections conducted in 1991, 1996 and 1998. In 1999, she switched over and won the Bhopal
Bhopal (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. This constituency presently covers the entire Bhopal district and part of Sehore district.-Assembly segments:...
seat. In the Vajpayee Administration, she held various state-level portfolios of Human Resource Development, Tourism, Youth Affairs & Sports, and finally Coal & Mines.
In the 2003 Assembly polls, she led the BJP to a three fourths majority in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. She defeated her Congress opponent from the Malehra seat with a 25% margin.
Uma Bharati resigned from the post of Chief Minister in August 2004, when an arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
was issued against her regarding the 1994 Hubli riot case.
Exit from BJP and formation of Bharatiya Janshakti Party
Firstly, in November 2004, she was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
"till further action" and served a show-cause notice asking why she should not be expelled following her outburst against Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Kishanchand Advani known as Lal Krishna Advani is a Veteran Indian politician. A former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party , which is currently the major opposition party in the Indian Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004...
, in full glare of Television cameras. However, due to RSS pressure, her suspension was revoked and in May 2005, she was appointed as a member of the party's national executive.
Later in the year, she was expelled from the BJP when she revolted against the appointment of Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and for allegations of being digvijay singh's paramour. Post explusion, she undertook a herculean 'padyatra' from Bhopal to Ayodhya and called it the Ram Roti Yatra
Yatra
' , in Hinduism and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage to a holy site, and is...
(spiritual journey for Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and bread).
Later Uma Bharti found sympathisers in many dissiden BJP leaders like Madan Lal Khurana
Madan Lal Khurana
Madan Lal Khurana is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Delhi. He has also served as the Governor of Rajasthan.-Early life:...
and Sangh Priya Gautam
Sangh Priya Gautam
Sangh Priya Gautam is a former Uninion minister of state for agro and rural industries of India. He was minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee ministry. He was born in 1931 in Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh in India and studied at law Aligarh Muslim University...
and tried to revive a new Hindu movement, which proved unsuccessful.
Though Uma Bharati drew huge crowds during her Ram Roti Yatra and campaign for various by-elections, her political fortunes have taken a nosedive. Her political outfit, called the BJSP (Bharatiya Janshakti Party
Bharatiya Janshakti Party
|The Bharatiya Janshakti Party was founded on 30 April 2006 in Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It was founded by Uma Bharati, a former leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party ....
) lost the by-election for her assembly seat of Bada Malehra, even though Uma Bharati had campaigned extensively for her candidate. BJSP has also experienced defeats in all Lok Sabha bypolls which the party has contested.
Though a section of the RSS
RSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
and the BJP have been trying to get Bharati back into the BJP, neither an embittered Bharati, who has sworn revenge nor powerful politicians like Arun Jaitley
Arun Jaitley
Arun Jaitley is a prominent Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party , which is currently the largest Opposition party in India...
or Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Member of Parliament. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha. She is a former union cabinet minister of India and a former Chief Minister of Delhi. Also she served as the Chairperson of the BJP's...
want her back in the BJP. Speculation was further fueled when she did not field BJS contestants for 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. In another major turn of events, she agreed to withdraw her candidates to the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections at the request of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief, Ashok Singhal
Ashok Singhal
Ashok Singhal is the International President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Singhal, born in a Agrawal Vaishya family of Block-Bijauli,Tehsil- Atrauli District- Aligarh UP, has been one of the major faces of Ram Janmabhoomi movement.He was attached to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and inspired by its...
. Till date, both Uma and the BJP dismiss any speculation about her return to the party is , but media reports suggest she may return within a few months, in a move that will be co-ordinated by her allies within the BJP and RSS.
On Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project
On July 25, 2007, Uma Bharti began a week-days fast protesting over the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal ProjectSethusamudram Shipping Canal Project
Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project proposes linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping channel through the shallow sea sometimes called Setu Samudram, and through the chain of islands variously known as Ramar Palam , ram sethu and Adam's Bridge...
saying that the bridge be saved.
On FDI in retail in India
In late November 2011, when the Government of India decided to allow 51% FDI in multi-brand retail and 100% in single brand retail, Uma Bharti threatened Walmart with arson should they enter the Indian market.Reinducted to BJP
Uma Bharti returned to BJP after 6 years of split.It was announced in a press conference at New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
by party president Nitin Gadkari
Nitin Gadkari
Nitin Gadkari ;is a senior Indian politician and the current President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is best known for the works during his tenure as a Public Works Department Minister in the state of Maharashta when he constructed a series of roads, highways and flyovers across the state...
Loses election from home turf
Uma Bharati lost the Tikamgarh seat, her home turf in Madhya Pradesh polls.Yadvendra Singh Bundela of the Congress trounced her with a margin of more than 9,000 votes as the votes were counted for the assembly elections held on November 27 2008.External links
- "BJP suspends Uma Bharati" - rediff.comRediff.comRediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
article dated November 10, 2004 - "Uma Bharati in BJP national executive" - rediff.com article dated May 28, 2005
- "India's firebrand Hindu nun" - BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
article dated November 30, 2005 - BBC article on Uma Bharti's suspension
See also
- Hindu nationalismHindu nationalismHindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expressions of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of historical India...