Will stay away from politics till December, says Bharti

Senior BJP Leader Uma Bharti today said that she had decided to stay away from politics till December, and devote her time to `Save Ganga' campaign.

Bharti, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, is on two-day Saurashtra visit.

Talking to reporters here before leaving for Somnath, Bharti said, "As auspicious Shravan month is going on, I decided to offer prayers at two `jyotirlings' in Gujarat - Somnath in Junagadh district and Nageshwar near Dwarka."

Bharti evaded questions about politics. "Being an active politician, I could not stay away from the politics forever, but have decided now to stay away from active politics from May to December, in order to give full time to the Save Ganga campaign," she said.

Pollution of river Ganga was a matter of grave concern, she said, adding that the campaign, in association with environmentalists, sought to create awareness about the issue.

Bharti was in news recently during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where she contested and won, but her party fared badly.