ML Khurana quits Uma Bharti's party

NEW DELHI: Apparently stunned by Bharatiya Jan Shakti chief Uma Bharti's move to pull out her candidates from Uttar Pradesh after the BJP's Hindutva appeal, former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana on Saturday announced his resignation from her party as its vice president.

Khurana, who joined Jan Shakti a couple of months ago after his expulsion from the saffron party last year, faced rejection of his candidates that he had fielded primarily to oppose the BJP in the recent municipal elections here.

"I am quitting Bharti's party and will work for launching a third front in Delhi," he said.

Khurana said he was holding talks with a range of non-BJP and non-Congress parties for his plans to launch a third front that he claimed would get support from a cross section of people.

Bharti's move to withdraw her candidates came in the wake of senior BJP leader L K Advani's call that those who had been once part of his party should come back into its fold to strengthen the Hindutva.

The VHP, which recently brokered reconciliation between the BJP and its MP Yogi Adityanath, has also made a similar appeal to Bharti.