Highs and lows of LK Advani’s career

Advani saved Modi but ten years down the line,history has come back to haunt him.

BJP patriarch LK Advani is the leader most responsible for BJP’s ascension to the top of Indian polity,from a pathetic two seats in Union Parliament to national prominence as India’s second-biggest political party as well as a term at the Centre,even though he had to play second-fiddle to A B Vajpayee.

During his long political innings,Advani occupied several party and government posts which included the post of Deputy Prime Minister,Leader of Opposition and BJP President. But apart from these achievements,Advani has to his credit an array of controversies which affected BJP adversely. We take a look here at the pros and cons,for BJP,of the original saffron strongman.

Busting BJP

1991 – Arrest of some militants in Kashmir led to raids on Hawala brokers which brought to light a series of large scale payments to national leaders including Lal Krishna Advani. This scandal was embarrassing for a party claiming to be a ‘party with difference’. However,the Supreme Court of India discharged Advani and others on lack of evidence which could be used to charge them.

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2005 – During his visit to Pakistan in 2005,Advani stunned his well-wishers,the BJP and the RSS by declaring Muhammad Ali Jinnah to be a secular leader. This cost Advani dearly as he was forced to resign as BJP President following his controversial remarks. The clear objective for Advani was to move away boldly from his extremist Hindutva position and build for himself a more ‘secular’ foundation.

2013 – After the anointment of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as BJP Campaign Committee Chairman for 2014 elections,a sulking Advani resigned from all party posts thereby plunging the party into deep crisis and making public the rift which the BJP top brass was trying hard to conceal. In the process he invoked dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini besides Bishma Pitamaha and Arjun.

Building-up BJP

1980- After the dissolution of the Janata Party government,Advani along with Vajpayee helped in the establishment of the Bhartiya Janata Party as the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In its initial days,the BJP heavily criticised the policies of the Congress government and opposed Sikh militancy which was on the rise in Punjab.

1992 – After spending months taking his Rath Yatra across the country,Lal Krishna Advani entered Ayodhya to carry out kar seva that eventually,on 6th December,1992,led to destruction of the Babri Masjid. It put a huge dent in the Indian secular fabric and polity that is visible till today.

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1999- On 13th October 1999,the BJP-led NDA came to power riding on a massive wave of popularity caused due to victory in the Kargil war. Advani took up the Cabinet position of Home Minister in Vajpayee’s cabinet and was later on elevated to the post of Deputy Prime Minister.

2002 – On board an aircraft with Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee which was headed to BJP’s National Executive Meet in Goa,Advani opposed the idea of sacking Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the wake of the riots of 2002 in which thousands of innocent citizens were killed while Modi’s govt could not bring the situation under control for days together. He is reported to have reacted to the suggestion of Modi’s sacking by stating,bawaal mach jaega.

Advani saved Modi but ten years down the line,history has come back to haunt him.

(Story by Saif Ahmad Khan)

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