Lal Krishna Advani
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Lal Krishna Advani (Sindhi: लाल कृष्ण आडवाणी), also known as Lal Kishenchand Advani (Sindhi: लाल किशेंचंद आडवाणी) (born November 8, 1927[1]), is an Indian politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004 and is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the 14th Lok Sabha. He is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has named him as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the General Elections due in May 2009. He was conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 1999.
In 1984 his party formed from the erstwhile Jana Sangh had just two-seats out of 542 in parliament's lower-house called Lok Sabha and was on the brink of extinction. As the President he invigorated the party to be the leading political party in country's multi-party system. He is credited for his efforts in making India's political system bipartisan.
Early life
Lal Krishna Advani was born on November 8, 1927, in Karachi, British India to Shri Kishanchand D. Advani and Smt. Gyani Devi. He later joined the D.G. National College in Hyderabad, Sindh (now in Pakistan). He later graduated in Law from the Government Law College Bombay University.
Early political activities
Advani joined the RSS in 1942.
- He was the Sangh's Karachi branch secretary.
- He was actively involved in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and rose in the ranks of the Delhi branch of that party and was elected on the ticket of that party from 1970 to 1975.
- Though not a practising lawyer, he argued on behalf of his party in 1974 before the Supreme Court in the Presidential reference whether election to the post of President could be held when the Gujarat Assembly was dissolved.
- He was detained under the MISA act in Bangalore prison during the Emergency years (1975 to 1977).
- From 1970 to 1989, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1989 and again in 1991, he was elected to Lok Sabha and in 1991, he held posts (refer to the section on posts held below).
Advani is credited with turning the BJP into a significant force in Indian politics by undertaking the Ratha Yatra (Chariot tour) to mobilize support for building of a temple dedicated to Lord Rama in Ayodhya, believed to be his birthplace.
L.K. Advani is known for his firm views on the issues of terrorism and Pakistan though in 2005, while touring Pakistan, he made conciliatory remarks about Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan resulting in much controversy. Here after Advani, was forced to resign from his post as BJP President by the VHP for his remarks on Mohammed Ali Jinnah. At Lahore he inaugrated the renovation project of Katasraj Temple, the most ancient temple in Pakistan. Early 2007 Advani met archaeologists from Pakistan who had been visiting Indian temples to acquaint themselves with Hindu architecture. Advani made the positive gesture to Musharraf in a letter to the Pak leader in which he was effusive in his praise saying: "I wish to express my deep appreciation for this (the restoration of the Katasraj temples)." Elsewhere, he congratulated Musharraf for visiting the Shiva temple in Karachi in November-2006. "The people of India have also welcomed your visit to the Shiva temple in Karachi in November last year," he wrote in the letter.
In government
Babri Masjid demolition and the consequences
The BJP launched a decade-long movement led by Advani on the issue of the Ram Temple. The BJP demanded that a temple dedicated to Lord Rama be created on the spot where, according to their claim, a temple stood till Babar's invasion of India in 1528. The Ayodhya site is claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. A mosque there was torn down by Hindu activists in 1992, sparking riots nationwide that cost 2,000 lives. Hindus consider Ayodhya a very sacred place as it is reputed to be the site of the city of Ayodhya described in the Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana, and to be the site of Rama's birth. The disputed mosque was believed to be built on the site of an earlier temple dedicated to Rama. Speaking to correspondents on his appointment as President of the BJP, Advani said: "We must be candid enough to recognise the Hindu anger that exploded on the streets in the early 1990s has given way to a patient wait for the new temple whose construction, I feel is inevitable." However, he was unable to follow through on this, even during his period as Home Minister of the Republic (1998-2004).
In appearances before the Liberhan Commission, a judicial body set up to investigate the Babri incident, Advani claimed that the demolition was the most agonising moment of his life. Advani was present in Ayodhya on the day the dome of the mosque was demolished, but had left the site the same day.
Many believe Advani is responsible for the mosque being destroyed and mainly for the violence occurred in it's aftermath. "The blood of many Indian citizens is on the hands of Advani" was stated by many group leaders afterwards.
Legal proceedings against Advani begin
- After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992, a police FIR (first information report) was filed where Advani was named amongst other BJP and RSS leaders.
- The accusations of "inflammatory speeches to spread communal hatred" were levelled against them.
Case dismissed
- In September 2003, a court in Rae Bareli discharged L.K Advani in the demolition case. Advani was home minister in the Indian cabinet at that time.
Case reopened
- On 6 June 2005, a high court in Allahabad set the Rae Bareli court order aside. This was widely seen as an indication that proceedings against Advani and the other accused would start again.
- A special judicial magistrate in Rae Bareilly charged Advani with making "exciting and provocative speeches" which aroused the mobs to demolish the Babri Masjid. Advani said the reopening of this case would remind the masses about Ayodhya and resurrect the temple construction issue.
Internal problems after electoral defeat
The period after the NDA's electoral defeat in the 2004 general election was anything but smooth and has emerged as a major challenge for Advani.
- Uma Bharati was suspended from the party for her outburst in a party meeting against the second rung leadership of the party.
- The Jinnah controversy has caused internal party feuds and soured the relationship between the BJP and the RSS.
- On July 18, 2005, BJP leaders Madan Lal Khurana and Murali Manohar Joshi asked Advani to step down as the president of the party citing the following reasons
- The RSS had supposedly lost faith in Advani.
- The party's principle of one person holding at most one post. Advani held the post of BJP party president and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha when the resignations were demanded.
- A month later, Khurana told the press that he found it difficult to work with Advani and criticised his style of running the party. On 20 August 2005, Khurana was issued a show cause for his statements and threatened with suspension from the party. He was also relieved from his posts in the party.
- In August 2005, detractors of Narendra Modi from the Gujarat state assembled in New Delhi to demand Modi's outster. Advani praised Modi's administration calling it clean, efficient and praiseworthy.
- On November 12, 2006, Advani made a statement by criticizing the delay in carrying out the death sentence on Mohammad Afzal for the Parliament terror attack. He commented, "I fail to understand the delay. They have increased my security. But what needs to be done immediately is to carry out the court's orders". Advani was the Home Minister of India when the attack on the Parliament took place. Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy retorted, "What is the hurry? The man is locked up in a high-security cell on death row. He is not allowed out of his cell for even five minutes a day. What harm can he do? Talk? Write, perhaps? Surely, even in Advani's own narrow interpretation of the term, it is in the national interest not to hang Afzal? At least not until there is an inquiry that reveals what the real story is and who actually attacked parliament?"
Jinnah related controversies
Advani has been accused of being absconder in Jinnah murder conspiracy case. The case was lodged at Karachi's Jamshed Quarters police station, on September 10, 1947. According to sources a criminal case is still pending against Advani and 17 others for allegedly conspiring to kill Pakistan's first Governor-General Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other leaders.[1] [2][3] However, the Pakistani government has said that they do not intend to indict him in the near future. On June 7, 2005, Advani offered his resignation from his post as BJP President amid controversial comments he is said to have made during a trip to Pakistan. He became the first major Indian political leader to visit Jinnah's mausoleum, on June 4 and he wrote in the visitors' book:
- There are many people who leave an irreversible stamp on history. But there are few who actually create history. Qaed-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah was one such rare individual. In his early years, leading luminary of freedom struggle Sarojini Naidu described Jinnah as an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. His address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 is really a classic and a forceful espousal of a secular state in which every citizen would be free to follow his own religion. The State shall make no distinction between the citizens on the grounds of faith. My respectful homage to this great man.
This was reported in the Indian media as Advani terming Jinnah as a "secular" leader. Both Hindu nationalist groups aligned with the BJP and officials from the ruling Congress party lashed out against Advani for his statements. The leaders of the BJP party tried to persuade Advani to take back his resignation, a suggestion Advani refused. A memorandum was presented to Advani by the partymen hailing his trip to Pakistan without any reference to the Jinnah speech. Advani rejected this memorandum yet again.
While Pakistan was cautious, some Pakistanis saw it as Advani's ploy to shed his hawkish image which seems at odd with the times. In its editorial, The News said "His remarks have certainly given him a new look among the Pakistani people, who otherwise would reject him as a hardcore radical with nothing good to contribute to peace." while others saw this as posturing on Advani's part to widen his appeal to the Indian masses to appear as a prime minister in waiting.
The chief of the Hindu nationalist RSS acknowledged Advani's contributions as party president without referring to the Jinnah incident while another senior leader of BJP, Murali Manohar Joshi opined that the party ideology could not be diluted.
On 10'th June 2005, L.K Advani took back his resignation. Sushma Swaraj, a BJP party leader said at the end of the party's parliamentary board meeting "During the last four days there was a crisis gripping the party after Advani's resignation, which was unequivocally rejected. It is now over."
Amongst those present in the board meeting were former Prime Minister A.B Vajpayee and former union minister Murali Manohar Joshi. The board adopted a resolution stating Jinnah to be the pursuer of the two nation theory which eventually lead to the partition of Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan. However, the controversial visit of L.K Advani to Pakistan was declared to be a success.
Announcement of resignation
On 18 September 2005, Advani announced that, he would step down as party president after the silver jubilee celebrations of the party, to be held in Mumbai during December 2005. He warned the RSS leaders that a perception was building in the country that the "RSS was remote-controlling" the BJP. Thereafter at the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the BJP in Mumbai in December, 2005, Advani stepped down and Rajnath Singh, a mass leader from Uttar Pradesh was installed as BJP President. In March, 2006, following a bomb blast at one of the holiest Hindu shrines at Varanasi, Advani decided to undertake another "Yatra" (Sojourn), which he called "Bharat Suraksha Yatra"( Sojourn for National Security). This was undertaken as a twin yatra, the other person being Rajnath Singh. Despite initial claims by the media and newspersons that the yatra was without an issue and was being ignored by the people, Advani's efforts seem to have stirred the masses and has vowed to make the BJP return to power in 2009 ([4].
Prime Ministerial Candidacy
In an interview with CNN-IBN in December 2006, L.K. Advani stated that as the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy, he considers himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the next general elections, scheduled for early 2009. This public revelation irritated colleagues within the party who are not supportive of his candidacy. In previous remarks, party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the press that the BJP would fight the next elections under a second-generation leader. Another factor is his age; he will already be 82 by the time the next government is formed. In addition, he has not managed to repair his relationship with the RSS following his Jinnah remarks. The chief of the RSS, K.S. Sudarshan made it clear that he wants Vajpayee and Advani to step aside for younger leaders.
The major factor going in his favor is that he has always been the second most powerful leader in the BJP behind Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who endorsed Advani's candidacy shortly after the interview was done. Rajnath Singh, BJP President, vaguely remarked that he is the "bridegroom" who will bring the "bride" to Delhi, sparking speculation that he too regarded himself as a candidate. Murli Manohar Joshi, once regarded as the number three leader in the party, told the press that there is no dearth of candidates.
On May 2nd, 2007, BJP President Rajnath Singh, in an interview, stated that: "After Atal there is only Advani. Advani is the natural choice. It is he who should be PM". [5]
On December 10, 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced that L. K. Advani will be its prime ministerial candidate for the General Elections due in May 2009. This had the RSS stamp of approval. It came just a day ahead of the fiercely contested Gujarat polls, leading pundits to believe that it was made to counter Narendra Modi's growing clout and the possibility of his ascent to the national scene.[6]
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