New Delhi, November 7 (IANS). There are some names in Indian politics who have become symbols of political consciousness by rising above party and ideology. Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani is one such name.
Born on 8 November 1927 in Karachi, Pakistan, Lal Krishna Advani’s childhood is associated with the tragedy of the partition of the country. At the time of partition, Advani also moved to Delhi. Advani, who was educated at St. Patrick’s School, Karachi and later at Bombay Law College, joined the national service in his teenage years. At the age of just 14, he joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He started his political career with journalism. While working as a co-editor in a weekly called Organiser, he saw the depths of Indian politics closely. This experience later molded him into a thoughtful politician.
He joined the Jana Sangh in the 1950s and gradually became a key pillar of the organization. He reached Rajya Sabha in 1970 and became the national president of Jan Sangh in 1973. He was imprisoned for months in Bengaluru jail in 1975 during the Emergency.
When the Janata Party government was formed in 1977, Advani became the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. When the Bharatiya Janata Party was formed in 1980, he became its founding member. Was the president from 1986 to 1998. Under his leadership, BJP made a miraculous journey from just 2 seats in 1984 to 86 seats in 1989 and 161 seats in 1996.
His Ram Rath Yatra (1990) made BJP a party of mass movement and gave a new direction to the ideological discussion in Indian politics. Later, with the Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra (1997), he took the national celebration of 50 years of independence to the masses.
From 1999 to 2004, he was a key pillar of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet as Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. His role in strengthening India’s internal security and global image during this period was historic.
Atal had once said about him that Advani never compromised with his nationalist principles and whenever the situation demanded, he showed political flexibility. Political experts believe that this balance makes him an ideal politician, where thoughts and behavior complement each other.
Advani married Kamla Advani in 1965. They have two children, Pratibha and Jayant.
Every path of Lal Krishna Advani’s life is proof that if thoughts, loyalty and patriotism are together, then no journey is impossible.
–IANS
PSK