Uma's re-induction under consideration: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party said the re-induction of former party leaders Uma Bharti and Govindacharya into its fold was under consideration of the central leadership. "The matter is under consideration. But, a final decision in this regard will be taken by the BJP parliamentary board," party spokesman Ramnath Kovind told reporters in Lucknow.

On the re-entry of Kalyan Singh, once an Ayodhya movement icon into the party, he said the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister had himself ruled out such a possibility. Firebrand Bharti and former party ideologue Govindacharya had left the BJP in 2003.

Slamming the Mayawati government for installing statues across Uttar Pradesh, Kovind said the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party had nothing to do with the ideology of dalit icon B R Ambedkar who always opposed the idolisation of a person. "Dr Ambedkar always opposed the idea of idolising a person and was not in favour of installing statues. "However, BSP president Mayawati wants to get herself immortalised by getting her statues installed," he said. Alleging the Mayawati government had failed on all fronts, he said erecting statues was its "sole agenda".