Gujarat is in the news. It’s election time yet again. The western Indian state also witnessed a fierce electoral battle twenty years ago in 2002. Some of us were witnesses to things unfolding that later changed the history of Gujarat and also that of Indian politics. In more ways than one mentor, L K Advani stands overshadowed by the mass popularity of his disciple Shri. Narendra Modi. But I could not discard the guru-disciple connection ever. In 2002, Advani had even chosen KPS Gill as Chief Minister Modi’s Security Advisor. Undoubtedly, the super-cop stint had a soothing impact in Gujarat after the first three-four months of indiscriminate hate campaigns and riots. In 2000 I travelled to India’s northeast with Advani, then Home Minister. On one such occasion travelling with him in BSF aircraft to Arunachal Pradesh, Advani told us how the success of regional parties like TDP, AGP and various Lok Dal groups had encouraged him (Advaniji). BJP strategists believed there was a ‘big vacuum’ as people sought a genuine alternative to the Congress. Now, that’s a political vision. And his disciple Shri.Narendra Modi is only precisely harping on the same point since circa 2014. The lesson: a disciple only carries on the legacy of his Guru’s vision. The Congress-mukt Indian politics is thus an Advani brainchild. As an anecdote, I remember Advani’s interaction with us in Gangtok.
At the Chief Minister’s residence, a large table was laid before us with delicious veg and non-veg Momos being the most attractive of all minutes later, where Advaniji counselled us about: “pet dharna (full stomach eating) being a misconception one should keep enough space for water and air”. We saw him picking up one roti and two spoons of dal – that was his dinner. As I know him, Respected Advani has been a film buff. During his days as Home Minister, in freewheeling interaction, as we often travelled together, Advani used to share his liking for films. Thus on December 16, 2014 afternoon, as Advaniji came out of Lok Sabha and walked towards his room in Parliament House, one song that came haunting my mind was: “Waqt ne kiya, kya haseen sitam” (rendered much deeper meaning than its words by the powerful voice of Geeta Dutt). Time does wonders! During that day, most of our talks were “off the record”. Of course, he shared simple breaking news with me when he said, “I will revive my blogs soon”. But that did not happen either. Of course, he spoke a bit on the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha, a panel he was heading as the chairman. Before moving out of his room, I requested a selfie, and he readily agreed, saying: “So everyone takes selfies…” – whatever that would mean! I had enquired about his health and his wife, Madam Kamla. “She has improved now…of course, she uses a wheelchair,” Advani had said, sounding very emotional. Kamla Advani left for her heavenly abode in 2016. Earlier in the 1970s, Advani was among the top national leaders arrested during the Emergency.
Advani had famously said of the Indian journalism scene that when Indira Gandhi asked them to bend, they preferred to crawl. Media is being debated nevertheless in a vibrant democracy like ours. Advani’s Rath Yatra had brought a monumental turn in national politics and enhanced the prospects of BJP’s acceptability across India, especially in northern and central India. The tremendous tidal wave of nationalism unleashed by the Rath Yatra unnerved the pseudo-secularists. ‘Jai Shri Ram’ became more than a traditional greeting. It became a roaring endorsement of the BJP’s view that secularism does not mean rejecting our history and cultural heritage”.
In a Facebook posting after I met with L K Advani on December 16, 2014, I posed a simple question of whether the not-so-often-said maxim, “Success is the ultimate failure,” would apply to the BJP patriarch. It is neither the first time nor the last time these issues have been debated. But the former Deputy Prime Minister did make a big difference in Indian politics. Yes, in retrospect, when the history of Indian politics is written – I will never forget veteran Advani for bringing about significant transitions. The Hindutva crusade, the Ram Temple movement, and the need to fight pseudo-secularism what I call Secularism were a few of them.
