Deadline today, Uma has own guidelines for party

Reading out her ‘‘conditions’’ for a return to the fold, she declared with new clarity, ‘‘First, we have to lay down guidelines to work out a system for the party which everyone is bound by, from the lowest party worker to the party president, to deal with party decisions—from ticket distribution at election time to Rajya Sabha nominations. Anyone who violates it will be penalised. Two, the party must correct the social imbalances within its structure as today, caste, class and gender biases exist, where even Dalits and adivasis have been left out. Three, there should be a method to check the ‘off-the-record-briefings’ which have systematically destroyed the reputation of colleagues.

‘‘If all these conditions are met, I have no problem in apologising to people whose egos need to smoothened, because it is not about me, but about bringing ideology back into the party.’’ Bharati ended her public speech saying she insists on a ‘‘guarantor’’ as these same ‘‘conditions’’ were not fulfilled last year, despite being promised by party president LK Advani. ‘‘I had asked for the same conditions when I apologised last year, to return to the party. I even asked that Vajpayee ji be made guarantor, but it was turned down. Today, I ask that Sanjay Joshi be appointed as the guarantor.’’