Uma Bharati 'Through the Lens'

From Babri to Bhopal, it has been a momentous pilgrim's progress for Uma Bharti, the fiery sanyasin who became the first woman chief minister of India's largest state after sending to political exile her rival raja (Digvijay Singh).
Adoringly referred to as "didi” (elder sister) by her supporters, the 44-year-old stormy petrel of BJP, who steered her party to a landslide victory in the Assembly polls, was born in a backward peasant family at Dunda village of Tikamgarh district in the state.
Uma, who stormed to power promising the moon to the power starved and road-less people of the state, was initiated into politics at a tender age when she came in contact with late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and leaders of RSS and VHP.
She had developed a strong inclination towards spiritual pursuits in her childhood and achieved fluency in religious epics including the Gita and the Ramayana. Which helped her in commanding the status of a demi-god at the peak of the Ayodhya movement.

These are some of the images of the former firebrand leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Uma Bharati who was thrown out of the sangh parivar led party for speaking her mind out. Since I worked in Bhopal form 2000 to 2006 with the Hindustan Times, I have closely followed this mass leader who was politically marginalized by her seniors and juniors within the party fold after she single handedly sweated it out bring the party to power in the 2002 Madhya Pradesh State Assembly elections.



This picture was taken in New Delhi during Uma Bharati's stint as the Union Sports Minister during the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government when the she wished the Indian Cricket Team under captain Md Azzaruddin for the World Cup in 1999.




Uma Bharati feeds her pet dog while on a hunger strike for the welfare of the daily wagers in Bhopal at a makeshift tent which was erected overnight when she decided to fast to death if their demands were not met by the then Congress led Digvijay Singh Government (left) Police stand guard over the two persons who had tried to attack her during her fast unto death (right) even as Uma answers her phone calls informing her well wishers that she is hale and hearty.

Kalpana Parulakar of the Congress party who was supporting Uma Bharati on the daily wagers issue being arrested at 3 in the morning, as later in the day Uma Bharati addressing the media after she had wood winked the police who were all over the city trying to arrest her too (left) Uma Bharati takes a sip of juice from Ramkali Bai the mother of a daily wager who had committed suicide after her week long fast and when the Digvijay Singh government buckled to the pressure by the Central government (right).

The sweet Victory after the hard work: Uma Bharati being welcome by BJP party workers at the Madhya Pradesh state BJP Headquarters after she routed the Congress Party and send Digvijay Singh packing to New Delhi.

After a quick visit to Tirupati and tonsure her head for the victory she got for her party, and later straight from Tirupati she went to th Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain to offer her prayers (left) as she meets a delegation of Christian association members during her Chief Ministership to sort ou the attacks by the RSS on their community in the tribal belt of Bhil (right).

Uma Bharati gets back to limelight after six months of hard work ensuring that the roads and other issues like water, power and issuing jobs to the educated youth, she was asked by the Hubli court to come for her misuse of the National flag. This case itself seemed like a plant to dismantle her from the seat of power, which she also knew but trusted a few old vanguards of the party to keep her seat safe till she returned.

Uma Bharati announces her resignation from the post of Chief Minister ship under the assurance by Arun Jetlie the party General Secy (left) as she sits next to Babulal Gaur whom she had hand picked to keep the Chief Minister chair till her return after the court proves her innocence, but only to be cheat and thus forcing her to split the party but asked her well wishers to stay within the party fold.

Even before she could take the train to Hubli to attend the case against her and be jailed for a misuse of the National Flag her supporters where overshadowed by the larger than life size hoarding of her new appointee Babulal Gaur.

After nearly three weeks of herself in prison and then the Hubli court dropping all cases against her, her supporters came back to the streets welcoming her to the Madhya Pradesh state capital (left) and then after another month of dialogue with the party central leadership she addresses the media to tell them that she was fooled by the party and her senior leaders in the state so that they could eat the cake she had fought to win all along for them.

No Cake on Uma's Birthday

This story just so happened that when the then BJP Chief Ministerial candidate Uma Baharti had come back to the lake city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal to celebrate her birthday that she forced the State President Kailash Joshi to give her ladoos. Since I was present I the room I hit upon this idea of writing this story on how Uma Bharati just coming out of an controversy of offering an egg laced cake to Lord Hanuman during her election campaign which the Congress Party try to use to their advantage only to see themselves defeated by a whole lot of cream on their face by this very same sadhvi who cherished the cake for a year or so before her own party men played her spoils by snatching the cake from her to pass it to a older man and now with a fresh young blood of the right wing block.
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After the egg on her face imbroglio following offering a cake at Hanuman temple recently, BJP's chief ministerial candidate Uma Bharati has probably decided to shun like plague the egg-laced confectionery.
Apparently having decided not to touch a cake with the proverbial barge pole, her 44th birthday today (Saturday, May 3rd, 2003), was shorn of hype, glamour or yes, cake. If she was offered anything, it were the humble Mawa sweets.
The firebrand Sadhvi took a train from Gawalior to Hoshangabad where she performed Puja at the holy Narmada river in the morning. Then, it was time for a meeting. Later in the day, she arrived at her residence in the State capital.
After two hours of rest, she prayed to Gods and Goddesses for the party's fortunes at her home. The chief campaigner of the BJP is facing probably the sternest test of her turbulent political careers as she leads the party in the coming State Assembly elections.
While meeting a clutch of local corporators and party workers, Uma showed the signs of stress and exhaustion after the first leg of her 'Sankalp Yatra'. The travel-weary leader sported a forced smile on her face all the time.

A Gun-totting woman bodyguard brought a genuine smile to her lips when she presented Uma with a rose and a birthday wishes card. The bodyguard received a warm hug in return.
On her way out to the State BJP headquarters to hold a meeting with senior party leaders later, Uma stopped at the Banganga Durga Mandir only to find the temple doors locked. An Aarti she planned to perform there would have to wait for another day.
At the party headquarters, Uma was recevied by a handful of party workers. She proceeded to the first floor of the BJP headquarters where State party president Kailash Joshi blessed her. The party's State general secretary Kaptan Singh Solanki. also greeted her. Sweets, needless to say strictly milk-based, were also offred to her.

Maneka Gandhi & Ashok Singhal left to fend for Themselves!

During the swearing-in-ceremony of the B S Yeddiyurappa's Government on the footsteps of the Vidhan Soudha in Bangalore two of the right wing leaders were left to fend for themselves. Since I was shooting the pictures outside the soudha after the swearing-in,I happened to spot Maneka Gandhi running from pillar to post trying to find an car which will drop her back to the Bangalore International Airport. Most supporters of the BJP from the southern state of Karnataka did not know who this high profile lady was as they kept asking each other who this VIP was. These pictures was published in the Bangalore Mirror with an small story as how an former Union Minister of the NDA led government had been treated at the grandest Swearing -In ceremony of the BJP party in South India, as this was the beginning of the party's entry into the land of the Dravidians.


Former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi was left stranded on the foot steps of Vidhan Soudha after the Swearing in Ceremony of the B S Yeddiyurappa Government in Bangalore. She had to virtually plead with Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal to drop her off at the airport for which the Punjab Chief Minister readily obliged.
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The second person who had to fend for him self was Vishwa Hindu Parishad's International President Ashok Singhal. I noticed that he was sitting in an chair while being surrounded by his protection men on the walk path outside the main entrance of the Vidhan Soudha, even as other senior and junior BJP leaders were busy munching into their first state sponsored delicious meal inside the Vidhan Soudha. As I approached to take an image of this scene the special protection men asked me not to but I went ahead and got a good frame of the man who is committed for the Hinduism cause.
The grand old man of Hindu cause was seen sitting and wiping away the sweat rolling down his forehead and brow from the 2008’s May month heat.


VHP International President Ashok Singal was left to fend for himself on the foot steps of Vidhan Soudha after the Swearing in Ceremony of the B S Yeddiyurappa Government in Bangalore. His body guards had to get a chair from elsewhere when nobody came to receive him and take him to the stage, forcing the Hinduism leader to see the swearing in ceremony from the Road side itself.