Post-boycott, PM, Advani share platform

After the acrimonious Parliament session boycotted by the Opposition for over three weeks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP leader L.K....

After the acrimonious Parliament session boycotted by the Opposition for over three weeks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP leader L.K. Advani interacted for the first time today.

The occasion was a special memorial meeting for Swami Ranganathananda, the 13th president of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, who died in Kolkata on April 25.

The two shared the dais for close to an hour with the leader of the Opposition saying the two had interaction in an ante-room before the programme formally commenced.

‘‘When we were in the room, I told the Prime Minister that we both are fortunate that we know Swamiji from Karachi (before independence) and had regular contact with him,’’ Advani told the audience.

However, he did not elaborate about the Prime Minister’s response or whether they talked about some other matter. Singh made no reference to the interaction during his speech.

Pointing out that Swami Ranganathananda was regarded by disciples as the ‘Second Swami Vivekananda’, the Prime Minister said he was ‘‘an unusually gifted individual, a teacher, a scholar, a sage, a companion of the needy and above all, a deeply religious person and a true humanist in best traditions of Indian culture and civilisation.’’

Advani said those who had worked for national integration, ‘‘be it (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee, drew inspiration from the saint’’.

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The PM recalled the times he had attended Swamiji’s lectures, ‘‘engrossed by his voice and thoughts which gave a glimpse of the vast storehouse of knowledge that resided in him.’’

The saint had headed Ramakrishna Mission and Math in Karachi for several years just before the partition, he said. Former prime minister I.K. Gujral was also present on the occasion.