The patriarch has finally spoken, but much like the politician who finds his tongue only when all but dumped by their party. By penning a blog to voice his angst over the “anti-national” slur employed by his party against political opponents, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran L.K. Advani was rapping his protégé Narendra Modi on the knuckles.
We can only guess if his outpouring had to do with the way he has been treated, or if it was a genuine lament over the party’s departure from the right path.
If only this censure had come much earlier, he would have done the country a favour.
Missed opportunities
Advani had opportunities aplenty to counsel his party against the culture of colouring all contrarian views as seditious and anti-national.
But did he speak up when Kanhaiya Kumar and other student activists at JNU were charged with sedition, or when activists were accused of being part of a Maoist conspiracy in the Bhima-Koregaon case?
In his blog, the nonagenarian leader speaks of respect for diversity as the essence of Indian democracy. Didn’t he remember this tenet when Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched by a mob on suspicion of storing beef in his house in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh? Why did he look the other way when Akhlaq’s killers were celebrated as heroes?
Advani talks of independence, integrity and fairness of democratic institutions. Yet, since 2014, when Modi took office as Prime Minister, one democratic institution after another has been marginalised.
In early 2018, four Supreme Court judges came out openly against the then Chief Justice of India for apparently coming under pressure from the executive.
Unfortunately, there has been no record of Advani reacting to this instance, or when the Modi government removed the CBI director through a midnight order later that year either.
After all, Advani should have made it his business as a member of the BJP ‘margadarshak mandal‘ to advise the party and the government whenever they stepped out of line.
It is another matter that no one may have heeded his words in the BJP, but it would at least have added another important voice to the public discourse around the actions of the Modi regime.
Also read: Unlike Vajpayee & Advani, gen next BJP leaders groomed by Modi-Shah don’t look promising
A monster of his own making
In a way, Advani is reaping the fruits of the seeds he sowed. His 1990 rath yatra as part of the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign, leading up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid two years later, was the starting point for the construction of the template of hate. Ironically, it was the same Modi who accompanied Advani on the Gujarat leg of that campaign.
That campaign changed the course of the BJP’s history. If the BJP is what it is today, it is thanks to the polarisation of the Indian polity on religious lines propelling the party to power at the Centre twice, as well as in many states.
If Advani finds the politics of today divisive, he should remember he is guilty too. He became an ardent advocate of Modi after the latter became Gujarat chief minister. He prevailed upon the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to not sack Modi even when Gujarat burned in one of India’s worst anti-Muslim riots in 2002.
Advani’s homilies to the party he and Vajpayee founded have come too late in the day, and will have no effect on the BJP’s abrasive campaign rhetoric. The BJP has travelled far from the values he claims the party has always stood for.
The party’s stars of today are unapologetic in parroting the line “if you’re not with Modi, you’re anti-national”, in meeting after meeting. Any course correction be damned — they are already preparing for a second Modi term even before the first vote has been cast.
With his blog, Advani may have assuaged his own guilt somewhat and, in the process, given something to the opposition to embarrass the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha election campaign.
Whatever be the provocation for him to speak out now, history will perhaps add a kind footnote about his intervention that came ahead of the BJP’s 40th foundation day.
Also read: BJP faces ‘age-old’ poll quandary — whether or not to field veterans Advani, Joshi
The author is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru.
Typical pseudo-intellectual Scamgress lackey using his dyspeptic disposition to excrete hackneyed horseshit.
Only in India is the command over English taken as a passport to intellectual superiority.
The Indian motherland belongs to its HINDI (and associated dialects) speaking masses – they are the INHERITORS of this cherished subcontinent.
People like this author are caught on the WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY and will be chafed every living moment by the tides that sweep this nation to its rightful glory. My advice to such traitors is to keep plenty of BURNOL in stock (and keep writing such drivel to humor us vast majority.)
Advani’s Rath Yatra has led the country to polarisation on religious lines. Atal Behari Vajapayee his senior colleague in the party had clearly advised him about it. But he ignored the sane advice of his senior. Now lamenting. His move has set the country back on the stagnant path.
Patriot vM was paid Rs.10 by Scamgress to post this comment.
Neither Advani nor present government should be blamed for politics of intolerance/hate in India. In fact, levels of intolerance today is much lower than it was during partition of country or birth of Muslim League and it’s demand of separate electorate for Muslims. Problem with Advani is his inability to communicate directly to people what he did for them and perhaps they wanted it too in Ayodhya?? Advani’s intention for Ram temple was clear but he wanted it to be delivered disguised under technical camouflage of constitutional Lingua-franka. Present government and its supporters are little belligerent and to some extent believe in calling spade-a-spade when personal rights of people stands in contravention of unity and souverignty of state. So, what made Advani ji feel intolerance of present government could be better explained by him only, it is time for everyone of us to learn to say spade-a-spade.
Mr. Advani should be appreciated for his blog even if it has come a bit late in the day. But, better late than never. He should tell us a few more stories to the voters about the monster he has created. If there is discord and strife in the country he is as much to be blamed as others. Any way, three cheers to Advani for having the courage to speak at the 11th hour at the least. .
Oppositions behavoiur speaks itself. Waiving pakistani flags, glorifying Afzal Guru, forceful conversion of Hindu girls by muslims. No action is taken by opposition party governments.
The republic is drifting.Modi and Sha want it that way.Opposition does not realise the gravity of the situation or are not dttered from pursueing their individual agenda.-It is dangerous times.
What was his “ Loh Purush “ persona all about, disdaining Vajpayeeji as “ Vikas Purush “. Even today, the party would do well to imbibe more deeply PM ABV’s catholicity of spirit. A country of India’s size and diversity cannot be kept together by “ muscularity “.
ThePrint has conspicuously taken advantage of Advani’s blog to spew its venom and repeat the unwanted allover. It is not expected from a responsible media house represented by a senior journalist. The blog in its original form emits concealed discontent from the senior BJP leader which is his hall mark. Not mentioning Modi in the blog was unacceptable. ThePrint reading it “as rapping his protégé Narendra Modi on the knuckles” is vicarious and represents the hostile media. Contemporary BJP leadership under Modi, Shah and the rest including Gadkari have all been circumspect and subservient to NATION FIRST, PARTY NEXT, SELF LAST principle inspite of current general environment on the political scene with a hostile media. Truly because of the committed and honest service of the government under Modi and NDA the country’s nationalistic fervour is enlivened. By and large, entire citizenry of 130 crore is bubbling with renewed zeal and enthusiasm. BJP’s mantle with its ideology is intact and held high. Jai Hind!
Nation First, are you sure. We have a man who spends thousands of crore on self-promotion and you would like us to believe that it is about Nation First? It is really hard on a New Year Day!
Someone who cares about nation will not put his or her photograph at public cost. I would spend that money to let the poor feed their families and court the darbari media for self-promotion.
Best of Luck to you, if you do think that Modi is about Nation First.
Advani is getting what he deserved. For him it was not ‘nation first, party next, and self the last’. For Advani it was the other way. Self first, party next, and nation last. I am sure Modi is going to taste the same medicine after the elections.
Very well written. Keep shining The Print.
Advani deserves this treatment because, as rightly stated, he is the creator of the template of hate. His 1990 rath yatra and demolition of Babri masjid can be counted as one of the worst instances of hate crime.