Drifting to the Right; The BJP's leadership crisis has rejuvenated its radicals.

Byline: Ron Moreau and Sudip Mazumdar

Uma Bharti, a militant leader of India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has always courted controversy. A self-styled sanyasin, or Hindu ascetic, she's been at the forefront of the Hindu nationalist BJP's most confrontational anti-Muslim maneuvers in recent years. In 1992, when Hindu fanatics destroyed a mosque that had allegedly been built on the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram, she helped to lead the charge dressed in her saffron robes. Two years later Bharti rallied Hindu extremists in an illegal protest over a piece of land in the southern state of Karnataka that was claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. Several people died in an ensuing riot, and Bharti was accused of attempted murder. Because of her high political profile, the charges were filed away.

But late last month the Congress-party- led state government clumsily resurrected the accusations and asked the 45-year-old rabble-rouser to surrender to state authorities. The move seems to have re-energized the BJP, still reeling from its surprising electoral defeat last spring at the hands of Sonia Gandhi's Congress-led alliance. The party, which during the campaign had muted its anti-Muslim rhetoric and instead touted its economic achievements while in office, has drifted since the election, torn between reformist and hard-line elements. Now the latter seem to have won out.

Bharti, who made a great show of resigning as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh state and surrendering to Karnataka authorities earlier this month, was quickly released after charges were dropped. But the damage was done. The BJP leadership has since sent her on a 16-day campaign tour across several western states, including Maharashtra, which is holding a crucial state election next month. As a sanyasin, she's not supposed to entertain earthly ambitions like grabbing political power, and analysts say the BJP's effort to transform her into a national figure is probably futile. "It's a silly idea to sell Uma Bharti as some kind of a national icon or leader," says Shekhar Gupta, editor of the newspaper Indian Express. "People are beginning to laugh."

But she may be all the BJP has to offer. The party, which during its time in power was dominated by its most visible moderate, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has not groomed any youngish leaders with national stature. One reason is that the BJP was confident of remaining in power. Now, with Vajpayee tainted by defeat, the BJP faces a leadership crisis. The former prime minister, who will turn 80 later this year, was verbally attacked ...