BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday called for a vigorous campaign against the opposition’s “disinformation and falsehood” on the controversial Land Acquisition bill. Recalling the “long tradition of sacrifice” in the party, he asked the cadre not to aspire for position but work for nation-building. Shah said on the party’s 35th Foundation Day: “We are fortunate to have a leadership tradition in which people made sacrifices and spent their entire life for the country.This party was not formed to make anyone the Prime Minister. This party was formed to make India the ‘Vishwa Guru’ (world leader),” he said. He added: “You should keep working hard and success and position will follow. We are fortunate to have a leadership tradition of making sacrifices and nothing else.” [related-post] He expressed confidence that Modi-led government would get “even a better” mandate in the next election. Shah highlighted the role played by party leaders in the past to take its ideology forward and remembered the contribution made by leaders like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deen Dayal Upadhaya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani. Advani, however, was not present at a function as sources said the party did not send the usual circular nor made a phone call to the 87-year-old leader, who was one of the founding members of the party. While party officials maintained that no one was invited by the central office, party spokespersons refused to comment on Advani’s absence at the function at the party headquarters this morning or the allegation that he was not invited. A party leader said the central leadership did not extend invitation to anyone as the earlier decision of the party was that the Foundation Day would be celebrated by every state unit. “So the Delhi state unit leadership had sent a text message to every leaders. Apparently one such message was sent to Advaniji’s office also,” said a leader who pointed out that the former deputy Prime Minister does not use a mobile phone. Last week, when the BJP National Executive met in Bangalore, Advani did not deliver his traditional address at the concluding session of the conclave. While one section said Advani refused to speak despite requests, another section said the party veteran did not want to toe the official line in his speech. At the function, the only leader who was a part of the team that founded the Jan Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP, present was V K Malhotra. “Although Advani was not there when Jan Sangh (predecessor of the BJP) was formed, he was the one who formed Panch Nishta - nationalism & national integration, democracy, positive secularism, Gandhian socialism and value based politics - as basis for the BJP when it was formed in 1985,” pointed out Malhotra.
