BJP kicks off Ganga yatra from Sept 20

The Ganga Samgra Yatra of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), beginning from Ganga Sagar on September 20, will pass through five states, with special emphasis on Uttar Pradesh where party leaders would offer prayers and hold public meetings at 54 places along the river to appeal to the people to save Ganga from pollution and highlight the Centre's neglect of the river.

The places selected for these programmes are significant for yatra leader Uma Bharti, who is planning to contest the Lok Sabha election from UP. Most of these places have concentrations of backward castes, particularly Lodh and Nishad. Uma herself is a Lodh and before Assembly elections, BJP had projects her as a replacement of former chief minister Kalyan Singh.

Uma was not available for comment, but another party leader said that nearly 30 programmes in UP would be organised in Lodh-dominated areas like Phaphamau, Muratganj, Khaga, Fatehpur, Mandana, Bilhaur and Kannauj.

Joshi slams Mulayam

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi slammed SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for his remark that he would not allow Muslims to be cheated. "Mulayam had yesterday said he will not tolerate that anyone should cheat Muslims. Does this mean he will tolerate that others should be subjected to cheating. What he said is dangerous," Joshi told reporters in Lucknow on Sunday. "There should be no cheating with anyone. Everybody has a right to get justice," he said.

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