Who benefited from Lal Krishna Advani’s Rath Yatra, who was shocked?

Advani ji, who is moving towards the age of 100, is now away from politics and public life.

Lal Krishna Advani’s 10,000 kilometer Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya for the construction of Ram temple had a far-reaching impact on the politics of the country. BJP took a huge leap. Advani, a skilled organizer and thinker, gained the image of a mass leader. The journey became the reason for the fall of the Vishwanath Pratap Singh government at the Centre. On the other hand, by strongly opposing it, Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar and Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh captured the Muslim vote bank.

Advani ji, who is moving towards the age of 100, is now away from politics and public life. Mulayam Singh is no more but his next generation is strongly cherishing the Muslim vote bank inherited from their father. Convicted Lalu himself is not in the election fray, but the combination of Muslim votes with ethnic Yadav votes through his son Tejashwi has made him a strong contender for power in Bihar.

Today is Advani’s birthday. The second and last phase of Bihar Assembly elections is on 11th November. On this occasion, read the story of Advani’s arrest in Bihar during the Rath Yatra and the maneuvers that took place regarding this decision.

Everything is uncertain at the beginning of the journey

When Advani boarded the chariot after worshiping the Jyotirlinga in Somnath temple on 25 September 1990, everything was uncertain. Both the weather and the success of the trip. But the progress of the journey kept increasing the confidence of the Rath Yatri and the supporters every next day. Flowers would be showered on the path where the chariot passed. Women used to perform aarti. Advani wrote in his autobiography, “It did not take me long to realize that I was not important to the people. I was just a charioteer. The main messenger of the Rath Yatra was the chariot itself and that chariot was truly revered, because it was going to Ayodhya for the purpose of building a Ram temple at the birthplace of Ram.”

Huge stir in Delhi amidst excitement of Yatra

Advani and his companions were excited about the journey. But there was commotion in Delhi. Secular forces were terming the Yatra as dangerous and bloody for communal unity. Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s government was dependent on the support of BJP. But the opposition along with other allies was also demanding stoppage of the yatra and arrest of Advani. Vishwanath Pratap Singh had the double challenge of saving the government as well as preserving the Muslim votes. A series of meetings were going on. But no effective formula for compromise could be found. There was a deep gap of distrust between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and Vishwanath Pratap. Mulayam felt that Vishwanath Pratap was hell-bent on cornering him on the issue of Ayodhya.

Mulayam Singh Yadav took extremist line

Senior journalist Hemant Sharma wrote in his much-discussed book “War in Ayodhya” that there were deep differences between VP Singh and Mulayam Singh. The Prime Minister opened the way for talks with saints because conflict with the BJP was not in the interest of his government. The central government was running with its support.

The central government knew that confrontation would not solve the problem. But if the environment remains as it is, it will be difficult to run the government. On the other hand, to settle scores with V.P. Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav took an extremist line. He went over to the side of Babri supporters. Among the three coordinators of Babri Action Committee, one Azam Khan was kept as a minister, second Shafiq-ur-Rehman Vark as MP and third Zafaryab Jilani was kept with him for legal advice.

Competition for secular champion between Lalu and Mulayam

Unlike Uttar Pradesh, Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar was also desperate to win Muslim votes. The journey had reached Bihar. In those days, Lalu was close to Vishwanath Pratap Singh in the factionalism of Janata Dal. There was also a competition between Lalu and Mulayam to prove themselves more secular than each other.

Lalu stopped the yatra in Samastipur on 23 October. Advani was arrested and kept in Masanjore Dak Bungalow in Dumka, a border district of Bihar-Bengal. Did Lalu get this arrest done at the behest of Vishwanath Pratap Singh? Vishwanath Pratap Singh makes a similar claim in “Destination More Than a Journey”.

He had told senior journalist Ram Bahadur Rai, “After the talks with BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad broke down, it became clear that the government would not work. After this, I called Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and said that Lal Krishna Advani should be arrested in Bihar itself. I also advised him that the arrest should be made only after 2 o’clock in the night so that the arrest does not make headlines in the newspapers.”

V.P Singh killed two birds with one stone

Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s government was going. He was having a fight with BJP and temple supporters. The second fight was between secular forces. According to Hemant Sharma, V.P. The lion killed two birds with one stone. Advani was arrested and Mulayam was defeated.

V.P. Mulayam Singh Yadav became the sole flag bearer of secularism by opposing Singh’s Ayodhya land acquisition order. V.P. Singh found a way to deflate it. First Advani’s chariot was to be stopped at Deoria. Mulayam Singh Yadav would have become the leader who stopped the chariot. V.P. Singh did not accept this. According to Arun Nehru, the Prime Minister sent a message to Lalu that he should stop Advani in Bihar itself, so that the entire leadership of secularism does not remain with Mulayam Singh.

Lalu’s claim – the decision to arrest is my own

V.P. Whatever may be Singh’s claim. Other sources may also confirm this. But Lalu does not accept anyone’s share in the credit for Advani’s arrest. Lalu wrote about this issue in his autobiography “Gopalganj to Raisina”, “To be honest, no one had asked me to stop this yatra or to arrest Advani. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was the Home Minister at that time, called me to Delhi and inquired whether I had made any plan to stop Advani. When I did not say anything clearly about this, he started saying, why do you want to take it upon yourself? Let the yatra continue. He said in a very strict tone that all of you have become intoxicated with power.”

The green turban that Lalu cherished in his bedroom

In the eyes of the opposition, the BJP was pursuing its political interests through the Rath Yatra, while the motives for stopping the Rath Yatra were also political. By terming Advani’s arrest as his sole decision, Lalu was preparing a strong base for the M-Y alliance in Bihar. Lalu wrote, “Amidst the tense atmosphere of the Rath Yatra, I went to Bihar Sharif, where the people gifted me a green turban. I brought it to my home and told myself that this turban is a symbol of the trust that the minority community has on me.

I will have to protect the secular character of this country at all costs. I kept that turban in my bedroom and pledged that I would not shy away from my responsibility of maintaining communal brotherhood in the state. It was clear in my mind that Advani’s Rath Yatra is a real threat to the minority community and communal brotherhood. Having made up my mind to take strict action, I held a meeting with senior officials of the state and told them that the yatra would have to be stopped. Along with Advani, arrest Ashok Sinhal and other Sangh Parivar leaders associated with him.”

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