Curious case of India’s former future prime minister Lal Krishna Advani

It seems that India’s former future prime minister Lal Krishna Advani will also be known be known as former future president of India. Supreme Court's directive to complete the trial against BJP leaders accused of conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid has made sure that Advani will not become President of India. It will be a very sad end to one of the most promising political carrier in Independent India.

Advani was the soul of BJP and he is the main reason for BJP becoming largest party in India. He took BJP from 2 Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to 117 Lok Sabha seats in 1991. This was a spectacular rise for a part which was considered an untouchable party in India for long time. There would have been no BJP without Advani & Vajpayee. They were the main pillars of BJP who built BJP brick by brick. The young generation Indians who has seen the rise of new political parties like AAP on basis of social media may not believe the struggle of creating base of new political parties in the heydays of Congress. Advani had suffered the pain of bloody partition of India. He was forced to flee from his home in Karachi and he struggled for everything in his new home in Gujrat. He had joined RSS in Karachi itself and remained RSS official even after partition. Gradually he became prominent leader in Jan Sangh and then BJP. He took the reins of BJP from Vajpayee in after 84 debacle and then BJP never looked back.

Advani grabbed the Babri Masjid plank from Rajiv Gandhi. We must remember that it was Rajiv Gandhi who had allowed worship inside the compound of Babri Masjid. Advani became the pillar Ram Janmbhoomi movement and toured India in his Rath. Finally then Bihar CM Lalu Yadav stopped his rath in my home district of Samastipur. BJP swept UP in 1991 election under his leadership and he was there on the fateful day of 6^th December 1992 when Karsevaks demolished the Masjid in Ayodhya. Advani later claimed that he was in tears during the demolition of Babri Masjid and 6^th Dec was the saddest day of his life. He may or may be true that he was not involved in the conspiracy of demolishing the mosque (Let the court decide on this matter), but he should bear the responsibility that he was the architect of Ayodhya movement which ended up in demolishing the mosque.

But still he remained the no 1 leader of BJP. Most of the political analysts in early 90s thought that if BJP win the election, he would become PM. Advani’s name came in Hawala case (he was acquitted later). His name in Hawala case and his hardliner image forced Advani to declare Vajpayee as BJP’s PM candidate in 1995. Vajpayee had a better image thanks to his excellent oratory skills and his better understanding of Hindi belt. Vajpayee also didn’t actively took part in Ayodhya movement and it was his image that helped BJP to attract so many allies in 90s. Advani payed the price of being a hardliner. As per some reports Advani tied to remove Vajpyee as PM in 2001 with help of the RSS chief Rajju Bhaiya without any success. Advani’s chance came to become PM candidate in 2009 but that was too late. Young & resurgent India rejected BJP during that election and the defeat ended Advani’s dream to become CM. In 2013, Advani’s trusted pupil Nardendra Modi overshadowed his master and became BJP’s PM candidate. After 2014 historic victory, Advani was sidelined in his own party. But he had hope of becoming President but now that hope is also gone.

Nobody would have imagined that a Karachi boy will become the architect of ending Congress domination from India. The truth of the life that your own Kama will come to haunt you one day. Advani has clearly payed the price of Ayodhya Movement.