It can be nobody’s case that L.K. Advani lacks political intellect, guile or commitment. For three-and-a-half decades now since he arrived on the national centrestage with his arrest, and then elevation as Information and Broadcasting Minister in the first non-Congress (Janata Party) government in 1977, he has been one of the most prominent success stories of our politics. He has been one of the few truly self-made leaders to have attained such a high position, which is particularly remarkable because unlike many others, Morarji Desai, Chandra Shekhar, V.P. Singh and even Mamata Banerjee, he did not use the Congress fast-track ever. In so many ways,he is truly an original. Nobody who could resurrect a party from the train-wreck of the Janata in 1980 and then lift it from two seats in 1984 to nearly 200 in 1999 and to national power for six years can be written off by history.
Yet, you’d wonder why we are using the expression ‘has been’ so many times even as we list out his many positive attributes and successes. Even the finest political minds do not get their instinct right all the time. This is particularly so when it comes to choosing a time to call it a day. Advani missed his moment to bow out honourably when the 2009 election results came. He offered to quit but then allowed those around him,the same cynical coterie that he should hold responsible for so brutally damaging his image and political legacy, to ‘persuade’ him to hang on. Hang on to,and for,what,they didn’t tell him and, it seems, he did not bother to ask. The bid for prime ministership over forever, it was entirely up to him to earn a well-deserved farewell in dignity. His CV for a half-century in political life would have still been formidable. But he did not,and has brought himself to this pass now, when he is accused of lying by one of his closest associates, of having his memory fail him and of being weak by his many partymen.
These must hurt. One unusual thing about Advani the politician is that unlike the cynical thick skin that decades in public life help you grow, he is, actually,quite a sensitive person. Unlike many in his business who would laugh a crisis of this sort away, Advani would brood, because he also weighs himself on a scale of stature,respect and legacy. If his own colleagues now question his integrity, memory, strength and conviction, it must hurt like hell.
His minders told him they were packaging him as a tough, decisive leader in this election. That was fine. But he allowed them to go too far,in suggesting that he was tough not merely when compared to Manmohan Singh, but also to Vajpayee. It was for that reason that it was ‘necessary’ to distance him from anything ‘soft’ that was done by the NDA while giving him the full credit for anything tough or decisive. The Kandahar hijack was seen as one ‘soft’ spot on NDA’s record. A little nuance, his minders told him, would do no harm if it could convince people that at least he was not aware that Jaswant Singh was going on that plane with the terrorists. That image,the memory of that humiliation, was indefensible and Advani had to be protected. He erred gravely in letting his people build this fiction. It is at moments like these that a leader is tested. He should have said that his shoulders are broad enough to take responsibility for whatever happened. Also, while nobody can run his politics like Raja Harishchandra these days, there is something morally,and tactically wrong with a prevarication so cynical, it camouflages your own responsibility and puts the blame on your own colleagues instead. As long as there was the promise of a return to power, those colleagues were willing to take the rap. Why should they now continue to do so? Defeat, as we all know, is an orphan. And orphans of defeat also have only one game left to play, every man for himself.
Advani and Vajpayee have had a remarkable relationship of love, and respect. I had once described them as an old couple who argue all the time but one would never do anything the other doesn’t want. Maybe a better way to describe their relationship is that of siblings who love each other but also harbour healthy rivalry. Many in the BJP, and particularly those around Advani, were quick to draw historic parallels with Nehru and Patel, both diehard Congressmen, but one ‘soft’, the other ‘hard’, one a believer in harder secularism and the other not shy of his Hindu identity. It is a great irony that while they occupy opposite ideological poles, the BJP leadership still draws inspiration, even personal comparisons with Congress leaders of the past. Advani’s spin-doctors tried to paint him as the new Sardar Patel and that is what led to a series of blunders.
Advani erred not merely in letting them take over his politics but his life in general. Some of the same lot would hang around him even when he was in government,merrily dropping his name to feather their own nests,rent-seeking or power-broking. They would call businessmen,party leaders (particularly chief ministers with patronage to dole out) and even senior journalists from his office and home phone numbers and preface the conversation, usually, with “I am calling from Advaniji’s home” or “Advaniji was saying…” Many of the same people hung on to him because,even after the power was lost at the Centre,the party still controlled eight states. These low-level operators,using his name,made him no friends and lost him many. If Advani had chosen better company,he would not have gone against his grain on the nuclear deal,and then,because one bad judgement is usually followed by many more,joined hands with his most vicious ideological adversaries, the Left and the BSP, in trying to bring down the government. If Advani had not suspended his own formidable political instinct, he would have known this was a lose-lose game for him. If the government had fallen, Mayawati would have emerged the giant-killer and a likely prime minister in a rampaging Third Front led by the Left. If the government survived,he and the NDA would go to the polls as recent losers. But he went ahead, even allowing that totally stupid cash-for-votes operation, and is now paying for it. You have heard often of somebody snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This was a remarkable case of somebody snatching someone else’s defeat. What should have been the Left-Mayawati-Third Front defeat actually became Advani’s and BJP’s, mainly because they put so much capital behind that idiotic sting.
Mani Shanker Aiyar upbraided me in a TV discussion earlier this week for having said that I have not known Advani to either tell lies, or to have a weak,or convenient memory. How can anybody say that when Advani’s own colleagues are questioning both, he asked. Let me now venture to say one more thing. That deep down Advani is a sensitive and introspective man. And some day soon,when political stakes are lower,he will reflect on how and why did his script go wrong,and give us honest answers. Probably in the next edition of his autobiography.
This article was originally published on 30 August, 2009.
I fully agree with Shri Venkat Reddy’s opinion. Indeed Advani Ji strode the Indian political scene along with Vajpayee Ji for four decades like Napollion Bonaparte! They built the BJP of today and RSS swelled in strength along. They made BJP acceptable to the modern Indian especially Advani coined and redefined Hindutva as an ‘inclusive but excludes none’ built on the nationalistic moorings of this great nation. Both Vajpayee and Advani were honest in their dealings and practiced fair and trustworthy politics which is a rare in today’s politics. In the Khandhar Air India hijacking episode it was prudent on the part of NDA government that 4 terrorists were bartered for the lives of hundreds of Indian passengers held hostage, as the entire country waited in bated breadth for their near and dear ones. Ofcourse Jaswanth Singh ji, then foreign minister, accompanied this misson. This emergent action to save lives is highly justiciable. Who ‘lied’ ‘what’ is not the issue. Let us compare this with recent Galwan episode. The Chinese had made incursions and occupied our territory as revealed in setellite images but the Centre denied it allthrough thus giving false information. During these trying times except America no country spoke in favor of us forget our own neighbors to whom we are dolling out financial aid. This is mirror to failure of our foreign policy despite our PM’s many trips abroad. It is here that we miss the talented and most dextrous Sushma Swaraj . Xin Ping no doubt did a cruel a’ la Nehru -cheated- by Mao’ on our PM despite his bonhomie treat twice. Infact during Xin ping- Namo meet in Mahabalipuram, Karnataka which gave 24 MPs to BJP in present Lok Sabha was not even looked at by PM though half of Karnataka was drowned in mansoon floods and literally have to beg for relief! Advani ji has endeared himself to millions of Indians due to his high integrity and moral behaviour. His name, along with Ashok Singhal and others is synonymous with Ramajanmabhumi movement as his entry electrified the masses with his clarion call ‘ Hum Mandir wahi banayenge’. Who can forget his rathyatra if 10,000 kms as day and night people waited for hours thronged the route to see and hear his words. By not inviting to the Ram temple ceremony with lame execuses has belittled NAMO’s standing in public mind drastically for we indians are sensitive to human values. Our ancients have bequeathed to us values of giving respect to elders. It is unfortunate situation to present BJP despensation that both print and electronic media have splashed this ‘ Guru droh’ done on Advani ji after all it was he who had groomed today’s leaders of BJP including our PM NaMo. It is a paradox that Pramod Mahajan, the original Chanakya of sangh pariwar is not with us, otherwise it would have been altogether different story for the BJP. It is a sordid event of the country missing Advaniji and other leaders who really gave their sweat and blood to the movement on this occasion ,in Ayodhya. Many tried to find excuses for this, like Champath Rai of VHP. The saving grace is that both Mohan ji of the RSS and CM Yogi ji did not forget to remember Advani. Is it a fact that deliberately they wanted to reduce Advani factor in Ayodhya movement ? and thus charta different path to the party? I do not know what these people are up to, so crafty to deny Advani ji glory eventhough he is old, ageing and harmless. At least our Karnataka CM Yediyurappa scored a sixer by richly eulogising the spirited leadership of Advani ji during Ayodhya movement, in a special story written by him in Kannada daily, Vijayavani. Advani ji too scored a sixer as his most candid and seminal message to the people was extensively splashed and viewed first across the country in the wee hours of Bhoomipoojan day !
Greatest Indian political leader and valuable person
One of the Great and Greatest person ! My feeling he didn’t got respectable post in Indian government !
For this we all should feel Guilty ! because Modi jee ,and Mohan jee ,made politics with Advani sir
” Advani Sir constructed this BJP house but these both people not allowed him to stay in his own house “.
! What to do now ,only one option that is Silence !.
Advani may have been the most over hyped politician in India’s politics. His actions can never be termed as errors of judgment; caused huge damage to the young nation’s socio-cultural fabric.
One of the best P M , India had was Vajpayee,the characterisation of the relationship between these two as sibling rivalry is mischievous ,if siblings are not Dara Shiloh & Aurangzeb , Vajpayee was often made to pay pound of flesh by Hardline s though he did so reluctantly.Advani ,I believe reaped what he showed.
A physical destroyer of a mosque gets no respect or recognition. He was correctly shunted out of his own party.
What mosque? On what ruins it was built? Foolish comment. Advani ji is our nation’s cleanest politician. He is sum and epitome of our national moorings.