'Tiranga Yatra' part of former CM's succession politics

NEW DELHI: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharati''s personal plan of a "tiranga yatra" from Hubli to Jallianwalla Bagh — a bid to transform an action that led to rioting and killing in 1994 in Hubli into an act of patriotism — is to be transformed into a party programme.
Officially, party leaders are saying that the reason for making it a party programme is because an issue linked with "national honour" provides them with a medium to to take potshots at Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
But the sub-text to this is that there is some "concern" among party leaders, especially members of GenNext who are aspiring for the role of "successor", that the arrest of Uma Bharati, followed by the tiranga yatra, may put the spotlight on her.
Party sources confirmed that the "tiranga yatra" would see all the party''s top leaders participating in it as it would be impossible for her to touch all parts of the country. Indeed, the "tiranga yatra" may be given a new name altogether and will see party leaders criss-crossing the country.
Following the party''s poor performance in the general elections, there was talk of grooming a new leadership to succeed the Vajpayee-Advani duo. But the task is clearly a Herculean one. Not only have the duo towered over the party for long, no member of the party''s GenNext has yet acquired the profile to step into their chappals. At such a moment, a "tiranga yatra" conducted by Uma Bharati would not just put the spotlight on her, but it also has the potential of enthusing the party.