Uma Bharti

Early life

Uma Bharti was born on 3 May 1959 in Dunda, Tikamgarh District in the state of Madhya Pradesh to a family of peasants. She attended school up until the sixth standard. As a child, she displayed considerable interest in religious texts like the Bhagvad Gita which led to her being seen as a "spiritual" child. She began to give religious discourses while still a child, which brought her into contact with Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, who would later become her political mentor. She describes herself in her youth as a "religious missionary".

Rise to prominence and Ram Janmabhoomi

With the support of Vijaya Raje Scindia, Bharti became involved with the Madhya Pradesh state BJP while still in her twenties. In 1984, she contested Lok Sabha elections for the first time, but lost in the Congress wave that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi. In 1989, she won in the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, and retained the seat in the elections of 1991, 1996, and 1998.

Bharti rose to national prominence when she became one of the major faces of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement alongside L. K. Advani and others. Her fiery speeches are credited for helping the movement achieve the momentum that it did. In December 1992 she was one of several prominent Sangh Parivar figures present at a rally in Ayodhya that developed into a riot that culminated in the demolition of the Babri Mosque. Bharti was indicted for inciting a mob to violence by the Liberhan Commission that probed the incident. Bharti herself denies that she incited the mob, but says she does not regret it, and is willing to take "moral responsibility" for the demolition. She acknowledges that the BJP reaped massive political benefits from the incident. In April 2017, Supreme Court of India has been reinstated criminal conspiracy against Uma Bharti and other BJP Leaders.

In the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, she switched constituencies and won the Bhopal seat. She became a cabinet member of the Vajpayee administration, and held various state- and cabinet-level portfolios, being Human Resource Development, Tourism, Youth Affairs and Sports, and finally Coal and Mines.

Chief Minister

Bharti was appointed the Chief Ministerial candidate of the BJP for the 2003 Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh. On the back of a fierce campaign based on a plank of development, and helped along by her reputation as a Hindutva firebrand, She led the party to a three-fourths majority, 173 out of 230 in the legislature. She was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Madhya Pradesh

Bharatiya Janashakti Party

In August 2004, after only a year in office, an arrest warrant was issued against Uma Bharti in connection with the 1994 Hubli riots, forcing her resignation. In November 2004, she had a public falling out with L. K. Advani during a meeting at the BJP headquarters. This led to a suspension from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was revoked a few months later at the insistence of the RSS. She continued to publicly defy the BJP high command, insisting that she replace Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, which led to several show-cause notices from the party, and eventually, to her expulsion.

In response, Bharti floated her own political party, the Bharatiya Janshakti Party (also abbreviated BJP). She stated that her party followed the ideology of the RSS, and claimed that she had the support of Mohan Bhagwat, head of the Sangh. However, the party had a marked lack of political success.

Re-entry into the BJP

She was re-inducted into the BJP on 7 June 2011. She was tasked with reviving the party in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of the assembly election in 2012. In 2012 she was elected MLA, from Charkhari Seat of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Subsequently, she was appointed to the position of vice-president along with twelve others, as part of a team created to guide the BJP through the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. On 16 May 2014, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jhansi constituency by defeating Chandrapal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party. She served as the Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation from 26 May 2014 to 1 September 2017. She became the Minister of drinking water and sanitation on 3 September 2017.

FDI in retail in India

In late November 2011, when the Government of India decided to allow 51% Foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and 100% in single brand retail, Uma Bharti threatened Walmart with arson should they enter the Indian market.

Ram Janmabhoomi

Bharti is a strong supporter of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. She was one of the prominent leaders present during the riot which resulted in the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The Liberhan Commission that investigated the incident indicted her (among several other Sangh Parivar leaders) for inciting the mob to a riot. Bharti herself has denied the charges, but has called for the BJP to stop avoiding responsibility, saying:

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power twice at the Centre riding on the Ram Mandir movement wave. So it should not disown the movement and wriggle out of its responsibility for the Babri mosque demolition. I was in the BJP then and was present at the site on the fateful day. I am ready to face any consequence, even to go to jail,"

She has also denied the presence of any conspiracy by the Sangh, while stating that she does not regret the demolition, as it furthers the goal of building a Ram Mandir there.