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Govindacharya may take over Bharti's party reins

Former Bharatiya Janata Party ideologue K.N. Govindacharya may return to active politics soon.

  • By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
  • Published: 23:40 November 18, 2008
  • Gulf News

New Delhi: Former Bharatiya Janata Party ideologue K.N. Govindacharya may return to active politics soon.

Govindacharya on Tuesday reacted positively to breakaway Bharatiya Janshakti Party (BJS) chief Uma Bharti's offer to take over the reigns of her fledgling party.

"I may become her advisor," Govindacharya said here adding that he would take a final call on Bharti's offer by mid-January.

Govindacharya, who worked as BJP general secretary was credited with making BJP a mass-based party and played a key role in its evolution as India's second largest party after the Congress party.

He, however, opted to distance himself from active politics once he was dropped as the general secretary following his controversial remark in which he had termed the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the mask of the BJP.

He has since been involved in non-political activities through his organisation Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan (movement for national pride) and has spurned several attempts by the BJP to get him back into its fold.

Earlier in the day, Bharti announced in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal that her BJS would be converted into political wing of Govindacharya's RSA, adding that her political mentor would become the leader of her party after the upcoming assembly elections in her home state Madhya Pradesh later this month.

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