This is an article from the indian express on the Advani situation........depending what ideology the newspaper follows the views projected in the article would probably be leaning a little towards that idealogy.......anyways I request who ever post's replies to this does so with a broader sense of reasoning and facts and just doesnt pull out cats from their hats. Try not to hurt anybody's feelings with rude remarks coz i dont want this to become India-pakistan or hindu-Muslim issue.


NEW DELHI, JUNE 7: Faced with the choice of confrontation or surrender to the RSS diktat that he withdraw his remarks on Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, L K Advani—the erstwhile architect of the BJP’s Hindutva-inspired growth strategy—chose the former and resigned as party president today.

The BJP, however, remained unsure and disunited on whether to remain loyal to the past or back Advani’s gamble with the future, plunging the party and the Parivar into an ideological crisis of unprecedented dimensions and unleashing a succession war on the sidelines for the post of BJP chief.



Isolated for the last four days within the Sangh as well as the BJP, Advani found succour today with Atal Behari Vajpayee coming out in full support of his ‘‘secular Jinnah’’ thesis. The unstinted support from Vajpayee, still regarded as the tallest leader in the BJP, forced lesser leaders to break their silence and make a show of rallying round Advani this evening.

Speaking on behalf of the BJP central team, Venkaiah Naidu—flanked by party general secretaries and vice-presidents—announced that the central parliamentary board and central office-bearers would meet tomorrow evening to collectively request Advani not to resign.

Naidu also expressed the BJP’s ‘‘strong disapproval’’ of the ‘‘totally objectionable’’ language used by VHP leader Pravin Togadia against Advani.

Fingers crossed, in
the back seat?

Karachi Declaration Fallout
• Advani: Hurt that not many tears shed in public. Vajpayee’s words big boost but Sahib Singh’s the lone voice. Indicated he will remain Leader of Opp but Yashwant already sent him first reality check.
• BJP: Will it be seen as letting Togadia, RSS write its script? Advani wasn’t Most Popular to begin with but no consensus on next chief.
• NDA allies: Only ones rallying behind Advani barring the Sena. What happens to Advani will decide what happens to them.
• VHP: Ecstatic but aware that even Advani’s rivals know trishul and Togadia not valuable allies.
• RSS: Big Brother makes it clear who calls the Parivar shots. Will play role in who next chief is.
• Congress: Mess in BJP always great news. Worry is regional players have more elbow room. Bihar poll dark cloud gets a silver lining if BJP takes its time picking up the pieces.



Significantly, however, he did not mention the RSS at all. Of even greater signficance was the complete absence of any endorsement of Advani’s remarks on Jinnah. Without mentioning the cause of Advani’s resignation, the statement—sounding almost like a condolence resolution—placed on record the party’s appreciation of Advani’s ‘‘yeoman contribution for the cause of nationalism, of Hindutva, and of the BJP’’ and asserted that ‘‘we are proud of the leadership provided by Advaniji.’’

He also expressed confidence that ‘‘he will accept the wish of the party and reconsider his decision’’, a confidence likely to be belied in face of Advani’s adamant stand today that he will neither withdraw his pro-Jinnah remarks nor his resignation.

The formal resolution notwithstanding, there were several voices of dissent from within the BJP against Advani’s stance. Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, who comes from a socialist and not RSS background, was among the few to openly describe Advani’s remarks as ‘‘unnecessary and avoidable.’’

Another unexpected critic was Madhya Pradesh chief minister Babulal Gaur who, echoing RSS-VHP sentiments, asserted that ‘‘Jinnah was neither secular nor a figure of respect in India....thousands of Hindus had to leave Pakistan and take shelter in India due to the venomous seeds sown by Jinnah in the name of religion.’’

BJP leaders belonging to the Advani camp confessed that in view of the anti-Jinnah sentiments that run deep in the BJP psyche it will be difficult for the party to back Advani on this particular issue. But Advani’s ‘‘martyrdom’’ to the secular cause, they hope, might force a ‘‘paradigm shift’’ in the BJP’s future course as well as people’s perception of the party.

The anti-Advani camp, on the other hand, is keen that the next president of the BJP ends the ‘‘disarray’’ in the party ever since it lost the general elections last summer. Advani, they claim, has lost his old touch which had made him the party’s supreme strategist in the decade between 1986 and ’96. Since taking over as party chief eight months ago, Advani had failed to come to grips with either organisational or ideological issues and the Pakistan visit only culminated a process of decline that had begun long ago, his critics feel.

Even while formally requesting Advani to reconsider his decision, both his supporters and detractors have begun the exercise of choosing his successor, sources said. His supporters would like an Advani acolyte at the helm, while the RSS is keen that the next party president is strong enough to withstand the Atal-Advani combine whom they regard with suspicion, a Sangh insider said.

The guessing game has begun in earnest with the names of Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi and low-profile organisational strongman Bal Apte doing the rounds as possible successors to Advani.

If Advani has his way, Venkaiah Naidu could be made working president for the time being but the RSS would prefer a full-fledged president of their choice, sources said.

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"Progress comes from deviation".

On a side note if anybody finds my comments or posts offensive or irritating please ignore it and if that still bothers you; please write to me and I will demonstrate.

I think he is fixin' to form a new party.

BJP (L).

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I once made a mistake, but I was wrong about it.