LK Advani: Can he or can he not?

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LK Advani: Can he or can he not?

LK Advani, a man who has carved his own niche without any godfathers of family lineage. Advani is trying hard to fulfill his aim of prime ministership of India but there are many obstacles he has to face before he reaches the goalpost.

CJ: DND

Wed, Apr 16, 2008 13:15:32 IST

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Elections in India :

FOR A man who has no constituency based on caste or region that could be called his pocket borough, without any family name to launch him, the rise of LK Advani in politics is remarkable. How he revived the fortunes of his party with that contentious but historical rath yatra is a matter of history now. Today he stands close to achieving his lifetime ambition of becoming the prime minister of India. The question is: Will he?

There are some who are born leaders, some come up through association while others climb up by playing different roles depending on the need of the hour and demands of the public. They have great qualities of adjustment and ride different storms depending on the loyal following they have built over the years some with inducements while others by providing them opportunities to grow and raise along with the leader.

Advani is one leader who falls in this category. He has no natural constituency based either on region or caste. He also did not inherit the mantle of leadership because of family linkages. He, however, has been playing roles as desired by situations and in the process has built up a strong base in the organisation, which stands by him in hour of his glory as well as in crisis. This has ensured him the top slot, and he is probably the only leader who has survived to rise again after a determined attempt by saffron brigade to sideline him in the wake of his controversial remarks during his visit to Pakistan, where he described the founder of Pakistan, Mohammd Ali Jinnah as a secular leader.

Advani made these remarks probably unaware of the storm that such a statement would lead to, but it is a tribute to him that he managed to ride the storm and after a brief interval managed to convince the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) top brass that he alone can lead national democratic alliance (NDA) and make it possible for BJP to rule the Centre. There is no other example of such a runaround by the saffron brigade, where no reprieve is available for any leader who defies the limits fixed by the sangh parivar.

This writer who has seen the growth of Advani starting as a ghost writer for his mentor and boss Malkani who edited party organ ‘The Organiser’ an not help but wonder and admire how Advani moved ahead in his long journey to the top, leaving many by wayside even though they had a head start and better credentials is a lesson for anyone wanting to make a place in politics. The journey has been a tough one. Starting his political carrier as a presiding officer of Delhi metropolitan council, he moved to Rajya Sabha to play a national role.

Advani unlike other players did not try to create his own constituency or a region where his writ would run, but instead, projected himself as a strategist for the party. He played a role during Janata rule to help his committed cadre to grow as he was aware that the combination, which had been voted to power in the wake of emergency was a temporary one and likely to break soon, and unlike other leaders of the front Advani chose the opportunity given to him to place the committed cadre in key places, so that they could play a role in building the sangh parivar in the event of break up.

The break up of Janata happened without any special effort by the Congress party as the leadership of Morarji Desai, unflexible and most rigid of Indian politicians and presence of mavericks like Charan Singh, Devi Lal and George Fernandes created a crisis where the end came much before the wounds of emergency got healed. It was difficult to believe that an unprecedented verdict and revolt against dictatorial tendencies turned out to be so short lived. Without going into history, one cannot help but admire how Advani who brought about a revival of his party, which had been mauled beyond recognition, through a new tool of politics that is rath yatra. The only other example where a single movement changed the face of national politics one can recall is the salt satyagraha undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi as part of freedom struggle.

It is true that Advani was able to make BJP into an important national player in politics, which could match Congress, but it was Vajpayee who built a coalition around BJP to craft NDA to rule Delhi for full term. Advani is now trying to fill the slot vacated by indifferent health of his leader and companion of long standing, Vajpayee. Can he match the skills of Vajpayee, a man who was admired because he represented the soft face of Hindutva. He was above intrigue and shrewd to a point that with one statement like (neither tired nor retired) could demolish carefully laid plans of his opponents.

He also created a group of people who may have lacked political following, but through their qualities of head and heart could help him create a power base, which remained supreme even though he had been forced to create a second power base by declaring Advani as deputy Prime Minister, who through whispers tried to create an image of him as a strong man of India on the lines of Sardar Patel, first deputy prime minister of India who made India into a nation by dissolving the power base of hundreds of princes and nawabs, who held on to their territory as absolute rulers in British period.

The times have changed; Vajpayee has lost his ability to challenge the rise of Advani as a prime minister in waiting because of his physical disabilities. But for Advani there is no easy climb. He has many detractors in his own party and NDA has lost many of its allies who are keen to create a new third front, but Advani, a seasoned campaigner is aware of challenges. He has started his run by working hard to shed his image of being a hardliner, but there will be many more obstacles to overcome before he touches the goal post. If he succeeds, he would be the oldest campaigner after Desai to occupy the top slot in politics.

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