Trupti Desai’s Bhumata Brigade has announced that it will not participate along with the Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye Forum to seek entry for women into the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah but would prefer to do it independently.
Ms Desai said on Saturday that not many favoured her aggressive style of agitation. “So, I have decided to withdraw from the forum. I will, however, continue my agitation and try to enter Haji Ali Dargah using guerrilla tactics,” she said.
Earlier on Friday, the Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye Forum announced its dissociation from Ms Desai’s campaign. Senior journalist Javed Anand and Feroze Mithiborwala of the Forum said a unanimous decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the forum members on Friday. The members expressed strong disapproval of the fact that having agreed to be part of the programme announced by the forum, Ms Desai chose to act unilaterally in a contrary fashion at the last moment, it said.
At its press conference on April 20, the forum had announced a peaceful dharna near the dargah on April 28. Ms Desai, who had expressed interest in the forum’s proposed programmes, participated in the conference, where she said she would join other forum members at the dharna. However, at the last minute she told the media that along with others from the Bhumata she would enter the dargah, the journalists said.
