Right-wing Hindu politician Uma Bharti, who was expelled from the main Indian opposition the BJP, has demanded the party remove its leader LK Advani, BBC Online reports Friday.
She made the demand at the end of a six-week, 650 km march in protest at her removal as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Ms Bharti was also expelled from the BJP for indiscipline in publicly disagreeing with party leaders. The firebrand Hindu nun is one of India’s most controversial politicians.
She was speaking in the northern city of Ayodhya after her march from Bhopal. Hardline Hindus want the construction of a temple at Ayodhya – a site where a Muslim mosque was destroyed by Hindu zealots in 1992.
Ms Bharti, 45, led the Bharatiya Janata Party to victory in the central state of Madhya Pradesh and became chief minister but was made to resign by the party leadership over a court case against her.
Ms Bharti wanted to be reinstated as chief minister after the court case was dropped but the party leadership appointed Shiva Raj Singh Chauhan in her place.
In her speech on Friday, she accused LK Advani of working against the national interest. She raised the issue of Mr Advanis comments praising Muslim leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah and criticised Mr Advani for expressing regret over the demolition of the Ayodhya mosque.
She said the party leadership should expel Mr Advani from the party for working against its basic Hindu nationalist ideology.
There are indications Ms Bharti may launch a new party in Delhi in the coming weeks. However, while there was a time that thousands attended her speeches over Ayodhya, only a few hundred turned up on Friday, BBC adds.
