No cleaner man than L K Advani

Last Saturday November 27 afternoon, Gauri Sabharwal, divorced from Advani8217;s son Jayant two years ago, awkwardly emerged before some media persons. She hurriedly related a tale through a handwritten letter that she was physically and mentally exploited by his then father-in-law L K Advani during her stay with the Advani family. But as she had refrained from having any booking in Press Club under her name, she refrained from tendering any affidavit.

Suggestively enough, the press meet was convened on the phone by a person who identified himself as newly appointed consultant in the Railway Ministry. Such meets are periodically convened by the ministry to update journalists on the Railway beat. But the consultant promised an unusual dhamaka scoop, saying it was a RJD press conference at the Press Club.

When a horde of mediapersons descended on the Press Club premises, a surprise awaited them. There was no sign of any Railway briefing. As they were dispersing in drove, Gauri Advani materialised there to distribute copies of her handwritten letter and disappeared without entertaining any query. This behaviour by itself cast doubt on her integrity. Yet a few newspapers chose to gulp her version hook, line and sinker. Others, appreciably, rejected it as drivel, though they might be bitter political critics of Advani. But those who did publish her version ditto, the story was in retreat within a day following their own delving into the matter. The divorce of Gauri and Jayant Advani had come about in 2002, after years of legal haggling. But nothing remotely suggestive of what she was claiming now was mentioned then.

Moreover, Gauri was unwilling to take a divorce although she had separated from Jayant and was staying abroad for a number of years. The Advani family was correct in observing that were there any substance in her accusations, she should have renounced the surname Advani in utter revulsion, whereas she is using it even after her divorce and Jayant8217;s remarriage. In fact, the divorce came only when Advanis filed a case in the court with strong allegations, and supporting evidence.

Far from being exploited anyway, it was she who was exploiting the politically famous surname Advani, which deeply upset the former deputy prime minister when he came to know about it. She had left the Advani family in 1994 and not 1998 as she claims now and migrated to London, where she started working in a solicitor firm. Though she maintained no contact with the Advani family, she solicited business on behalf of her employer by claiming to be 8220;the only daughter-in-law of L K Advani8221;, much to the embarrassment of Advani.

In breach of the tradition of Indian democracy, which does not set periscopes into the private lives of politicians, Laloo Yadav can adopt any means to fix his political bete noires. He wants a CBI inquiry against his own Cabinet colleague and political rival Ram Vilas Paswan. He wanted a probe into Advani8217;s 8216;8216;role in Jinnah8217;s attempted assassination in 1947 at Karachi8217;8217; even though no Pakistani leader suggested anything like that. Then he claimed Advani had misrepresented his age and educational qualifications.

His inventive genius was at work a couple of months ago when he called upon the Liberhan Commission to summon two former Time journalists, Jeff Penberthy and Anita Pratap, who were eyewitnesses to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, to testify on the role played by BJP leaders L K Advani and Uma Bharati in that demolition. According to Laloo, the two were present during the demolition in guise of karsevaks and were a witness to the 8220;notorious act8221; of the two BJP leaders. But like always, Laloo was more presumptuous than factual.

Advani is perceived as the 8216;Mr Clean8217; in Indian politics as far as private morality is concerned. Even his political and ideological detractors acknowledge it. The great scandal-hunter Khushwant Singh once informed: 8216;8216;I said to L K Advani once, 8216;You are a good and an honest man. But you don8217;t drink, you don8217;t smoke and you don8217;t womanise. Such men are dangerous!8217;.8217;8217; Naipaul and Khushwant Singh in Conversation, by Bhaichand Patel, Outlook, May 8, 2000.

Will Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh enquire into the vent in which one of his cabinet ministers has sought undue interest in defaming the leader of the Opposition? After all maintaining certain standards of public discourse is as much a government responsibility as it is that of others. Or would the compulsions of coalition politics, that he is unable to manage, constrain the Prime Minister8217;s better judgment?

The writer, Rajya Sabha MP and convenor of BJP8217;s Think Tank, can be contacted at bpunjemail.com