Bharat Ratna LK Advani Ji at 100!
Shri Lal Krishna Advani Ji enters the hundredth year of his
life today, 8th November. This year, his birthday fittingly
coincides with Diwali, a festival associated with Prabhu Shri
Ram and the Diya at a time when we are marking 75 years
since the inception of the Jana Sangh, 125th Jayanti of Dr.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee and recently celebrated a
hundred years of the RSS.
There are very few people whose lives have touched so
many different chapters of modern India. Advani Ji was born
on 8th November 1927, on Dev Deepawali. As a youngster
in 1947, he experienced the pain of leaving behind his
familiar world in Sindh. He rebuilt his life from scratch
without bitterness. This trait of being able to build from
scratch, against all odds, has stayed with him throughout. It
was seen while he was strengthening the Jana Sangh and
later building the BJP. His tenures as BJP President saw the
Congress falling sharply from 400 to below 200 in 1989 and
the BJP becoming the single largest party for the first time in
1996. Advani Ji nurtured generations of Karyakartas and
gave the Party a clear foundation rooted in the principle of
Nation First.
Two qualities always set Advani Ji apart as a leader. First,
his ideological clarity and intellectual sharpness. This was
reflected in his speeches and writings. The Jana Sangh and
BJP resolutions he authored remain worth reading even
today, while his interviews were consistently incisive and
precise. Second, the manner in which he exposed the
pseudo-secularism propounded by a large section of the
Indian polity for many years.
Advani Ji took up every responsibility with immense
diligence. As an RSS Pracharak, Advani Ji first worked in
different parts of Rajasthan. From there, he went to the
national capital, where he started working closely with Atal
Ji. History shows that it is rare for two towering political
leaders to work together for several decades, cooperating
with each other without becoming competitors. Advani Ji
and Atal Ji set a remarkable example. Together, they
changed the course of Indian politics.
The Delhi that Advani Ji came to was coming to terms with
the horrors of Partition. He immersed himself in making the
Jana Sangh stronger. In 1967, Advani Ji became the
Chairman of the Delhi Metropolitan Council, where he
worked alongside the late Vijay Kumar Malhotra Ji (who
became Chief Executive Councillor).
In 1970, Advani Ji’s Parliamentary innings began. His
interventions have won appreciation across the political
spectrum. He made a mark as an MP and later, as Leader
of Opposition in both houses and from the treasury benches
too. Despite parliamentary commitments, he frequently
travelled across India meeting people.
I vividly recall the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. It was decided
that Advani Ji would contest the Lok Sabha elections from
two seats, one of which was Gandhinagar. He had an old
link with Gujarat. His father had settled in Kutch after
Partition. Advani Ji had also served as a Rajya Sabha MP
from Gujarat. So, it was a homecoming of sorts. Being
involved in the BJP organisation, I had the honour of helping
prepare his papers and assisting him throughout the
campaign. The people of Gandhinagar sent him to
Parliament time and again. As a voter of Gandhinagar, I
also had the honour of voting for Advani Ji on numerous
occasions. The care and attention he devoted to his
constituency is something to learn from.
The Emergency was a watershed moment in Advani Ji’s life.
He was at the forefront of saving democracy and protecting
the Constitution. His experiences found their way into his
book, ‘A Prisoner's Scrap-Book.’ One part of that book, titled
‘A Tale of Two Emergencies’, beautifully explained the
striking similarities between the events in India starting June
1975 and those in Nazi Germany in 1933.
Advani Ji was a fiery Opposition leader but an equally
excellent administrator. When the Janata Government came
to office in 1977, Advani Ji became Minister for Information
and Broadcasting. It is widely accepted that his work in this
department was extremely impactful. As Deputy Prime
Minister and one of India’s longest-serving Home Ministers,
he was instrumental in strengthening India’s security
apparatus. His work in improving the lives of our security
forces is remembered with great fondness. His unequivocal
stand against terrorism ensured India got a tough anti-terror
law.
Of course, an iconic moment in Advani Ji’s life was the
Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra. It changed the course of
Indian society for the better. I consider it a privilege that I got
the opportunity to be involved in this Yatra from the ideation
stage to execution. Being present at Somnath when the
Yatra began was particularly special. A Yatra can be very
demanding, requiring long hours, constant travel, physical
endurance and an ability to remain focused despite fatigue.
Advani Ji embodied this endurance.
I also have memories of the saddening moments of Advani
Ji’s arrest in Bihar. Then, in Gujarat, the BJP withdrew
support from the Chimanbhai Patel Government. With this, a
simple message was given, that when it comes to our
ideology and the Ram Temple, there will never be any
compromise. Many of our senior leaders and Karyakartas
took an oath that, come what may, a Ram Temple will be
built. And, years later, with the blessings of the people of
India, a grand Mandir for Prabhu Shri Ram became a reality
in Ayodhya.
There is so much more of Advani Ji that is outstanding. His
simplicity, for example. After the Navnirman Movement,
Advani Ji had come to Junagadh and stayed for a month as
an ordinary Karyakarta, preparing the Party for the
Assembly elections in which Congress was rejected. He has
always shown what probity in public life is about. He is a
voracious reader. Those who have spent time with him
know how carefully he goes through newspapers. He is a
big fan of cinema and theatre, and has been an enthusiastic
film critic. His sense of history and the need to preserve it is
visible in his book, ‘My Country My Life.’
Advani Ji always remained in touch with Sindhi culture.
Another effort he undertook was the popularisation of
Sindhu Darshan Puja near Leh. I myself had been to one
Puja with Advani Ji and George Fernandes Ji.
Any account of Advani Ji’s remarkable journey would be
incomplete without mentioning Kamla Advani Ji. She was a
constant source of strength and support throughout his
public life.
Growing up in Karachi, Advani Ji could hardly have
imagined the path his life would take. In an expression of
gratitude, the people of India conferred upon him the Bharat
Ratna in 2024. As Advani Ji enters the hundredth year of his
life, I pray that he be blessed with good health and that he
continues to inspire us all as he has always done.
