Prime Minister Narendra Modi penned a heartfelt tribute to veteran BJP leader LK Advani on his 100th birthday, acknowledging his immense contributions to India and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The article, widely published in national dailies, highlighted Advani’s journey from a young Partition survivor to a towering political figure.
Modi lauded Advani’s role in strengthening the Jana Sangh and building the BJP, noting the party’s significant growth during his presidential tenures. He emphasized Advani’s ‘Nation First’ principle and his ideological clarity, particularly in exposing ‘pseudo-secularism’. The Prime Minister also recalled the unique partnership between Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which reshaped Indian politics.
Advani’s parliamentary career, beginning in 1970, saw him serve as Leader of Opposition and a distinguished MP. Modi recounted his personal involvement in Advani’s 1991 Lok Sabha campaign from Gandhinagar, where he voted for the senior leader multiple times. The Emergency period was described as a watershed, with Advani at the forefront of ‘saving democracy’, detailed in his book ‘A Prisoner’s Scrap-Book’.
As Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Advani was instrumental in bolstering India’s security apparatus and implementing tough anti-terror laws. The Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra was termed an ‘iconic moment’ that transformed Indian society, with Modi privileged to be involved from its inception. He also touched upon Advani’s simplicity, his love for reading, cinema, and his efforts to popularize Sindhi culture, including the Sindhu Darshan Puja. Advani, a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, joined the RSS in 1942 and served multiple terms as BJP President, leaving an indelible mark on Indian democracy.