Return of Advani

WITH India’s prominent opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani withdrawing his resignation, the crisis in BJP and the larger Hindutva family may have blown over for now. However, it is doubtful if Advani’s stature, snubbed as he has been by his own minions in BJP and patrons in RSS, in the party would remain the same after he took back his resignation.

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Published: Mon 13 Jun 2005, 10:21 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 3:10 PM

Advani’s liberal praise for Jinnah and expression of remorse over Babri Masjid demolition have led to his re-evaluation as a leader worldwide. Media in and outside India has been all praise for his metamorphosis as a statesman.

However, Advani’s climb down by withdrawing the resignation even as his comrades in BJP and RSS demolished his thesis on the Qaid-e-Azam may not be in the interest of the veteran leader. He has been virtually forced to eat his own words on Jinnah and watch helplessly as the Sangh fanatics bashed him left, right and centre. Advani may never recover his once eminent stature in the party. In fact, with the Sangh demonising him as a "traitor" to the cause, second rung leaders will soon move in for the kill. And BJP, instead of learning from the mistakes of leaders like Advani, may turn to more bigoted and ambitious men like Narendra Modi for leadership. Ironically, Jinnah, the man saffron brotherhood accuses of dividing India, has managed to partition BJP.


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