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Bharti ends 'Tiranga Yatra'

September 25, 2004 18:23 IST
Last Updated: September 25, 2004 18:34 IST


Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti on Saturday ended her 'Tiranga Yatra' in Amritsar by thanking her party leaders, including president M Venkaiah Naidu.

The 16-day yatra began from Hubli in Karnataka and travelled nearly 3,500 km through seven states and one Union territory.

Bharti also paid obeisance to freedom fighters at the historic Jallanwala Bagh in Amritsar.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Shahnawaz Hussein, BJP MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had come back from England for the occasion, and Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Parkash Singh Badal were present at a rally addressed by Bharti near Jallianwala Bagh, which over a thousand people attended.

Bharti handed over to Vajpayee the flag that had been given to her by former deputy PM Lal Kishenchand Advani at the start of her yatra

She started the yatra after the Karnataka government dropped a 10-year-old case against her for alleged rioting while hoisting the national flag at the Idgah Ground in Hubli.

The yatra brought to the fore differences within the BJP, with Bharti reportedly criticising Naidu for trying to stop top leaders from sharing the dais with her.

But on Saturday she praised the party leadership. "I wanted to undertake the yatra to expose the corruption and mindset of the Congress. I would like to thank Vajpayee, Advani and Naidu for the support they gave me during the yatra.

"I am very happy for this. I am just an ex-chief minister but still they supported me," Bharti said.

Referring to reports that she was eyeing Naidu's chair, she said, "I don't even consider myself worthy of any post."

Vajpayee lavished praise on Bharti and called her a 'Devi'.

Before he left Delhi to attend the conclusion of the yatra, he said,  "Leaving the post of chief minister is not an easy thing. No one told her to do so, but when the honour of the national flag was at stake, she chose to leave everything and tour the country."

"I am sure that though the yatra ends today, its message will remain for a long time."

He also had some words of encouragement for Bharti. "She has to traverse many roads in life and I am sure she will do it."



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