BJP leader Uma Bharti's praise for 'Diggy Bhaiya' surprises leaders on both sides of the political divide

by Guest Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:25 am

BHOPAL: The state BJP may call Congress leader Digvijay Singh's 'apolitical' Narmada Parikrama a "politically motivated drama", but the party's senior leader and Union minister Uma Bharti on Tuesday praised him as a religious person. Calling Singh and his wife "bhaiyya-bhabhi", Bharti said she would be happy to join the bhandara (feast) after the parikrama, if invited.

Bharti's remarks surprised leaders on both sides of the divide, considering the bitter rivalry between two former CMs. In the charged run-up to the 2003 assembly elections, Bharti had accused Singh of amassing Rs 15,000 crore, leading to a defamation suit by the veteran Congressman that is still on.

On Tuesday, Bharti praised Singh for venturing on a religious yatra. "Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh is doing Narmada Parikrama with his wife. He and his family are very religious and I do not want to make any political comment on the yatra," the Union minister told reporters at her residence in Bhopal on Tuesday.

"Digvijaya Singh is like an elder brother to me and I offer my best wishes to him and his wife on the occasion. I request others, too, not to politicize his yatra and respect his privacy. Both bhaiyya and bhabhiji are taking out a religious yatra and I wish they complete it successfully. I would urge him to call me for Bhandara (the mass feast usually organized after completion of any yatra) and I will certainly participate. In fact, I'd demand a dakshina too," said Bharti, adding that she knows Digvijaya and his family since she was eight years old. She said she had performed religious discourses at his residence, too.

The two leaders had locked horns during the 2013 assembly elections. Bharti launched an aggressive campaign against the 10-year regime of Singh, accusing him of pushing MP into a 'Bimaru' state, and amassing thousands of crores. Bharti won the election and became chief minister. Singh took serious offence to her remarks on corruption, and sued her for defamation. The case is still on.

Bharti had urged the BJP leadership to intervene as the case has become her personal fight though other BJP leaders were also involved in the campaign against Singh. The BJP distanced itself from the defamation case despite instructions from the party high command to lend her a helping hand. "I was asked by the court whether my statements against Digvijaya Singh had hurt him or his family. I said I don't know. But media reported it differently, giving it a twist against me," recalled Bharti.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/uma-bharti-praises-digvijaya-bhaiyya-calls-his-narmada-yatra-religious/articleshow/61377212.cms