L.K. Advani - a long distace runner

We hardly see a strong person like Advani; even at the age of 83 the guy is fighting hard for his party. Anybody else on his place would have resigned from pulic life after the debacle in the recent loksabha elections. But Advani is still firm on his stand continuing the leader of oppossition.There has been mounting pressure from RSS on him to choose his sucessor.


Advani started as a 'swayamsevak' in RSS at the very young age in Karachi (part of India in pre-independence). Later he joined jan sangh and become the Information and broadcasting minister in Morarjibhai Desai's government. Desai's government got dissolved early because of the spilt in the party. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed the Bhartiya janta party(BJP). The party was able to get only 2 seats in the 1984 elections where congress got the absolute majority because of the simpathy wave of the assasination of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi became the PM. Advani carried out the 'Ram rath yatra' from Somnath to Ayodha in 1992. The yatra turned out to be mass movement ad became a major success.

It was in the Bombay (now mumbai) annual session of the party that Advani announced that if the party comes to power it will be Atal Bihari Vajpayee who will become the PM. After the session Vajpayee told Advani " Ak bar pocch to liya hota muje" (you should have asked me atleast once)to this Advani replied " Aaap han nahi karte"(you would have not aggreed).. :)
In the next election BJP came out the single largest party in the country. From a taly of 2 seats to the single largest party, this became possible only because of Advani.
President called Vajpayee for government formation. The left front was against the BJP and even though being the single largest party in the country it nearly sure that BJP wont be able to get the required number. In the party meet Vajpayee clarified this to Advani to this Adavni replied "hum rashtrapatiji ka prastav swikaar karenge" ( we will accept the proposal of the president). Same day Vajpayee met the President and accepted the porposal to form the govt. The govt. didn't last long, after 13 days Vajpayee submited his resignation with a heartly emotional speech in loksabha.

I think it was this decision and this incident which gave the people of the country hope for a non congress govt. at the centre. In the immediate election BJP came to power with support from AIADMK. Vajpayee bacame the prime minister and Advani the home minister.

In April 2004 loksabha election BJP lost to the congress; Manmohan singh became the PM and Advani the leader of opposition. Advani remained the leader of opposition for 5 years.
He had to resigned from the post of party president due to the jinah controvercy. All political pandits prediced it to the death of Advani's poitical life. But phoenix rised from the ashes, Advani was appointed as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2009 elections. Party lost in the election and with it the dream of Advani to become the prime minister. Immidaitely after this Advani offered the resignation from the post of leader of opposition in the parliamentry meeting of the party.

Recently Advani's decision to continue as leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha for the next five years underlines remarkable physical and mental stamina for an octogenarian. It also shows that he is not daunted by political setbacks. Inspite of open opposition from RSS and hidden from a section of his own party men he is carrying the tourch alone. It remains to be seen if Adavni will continue till 2014 and will again be the party's prime ministerial candidate.
Still a long way to go Advaniji !!