On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that veteran BJP leader LK Advani will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. This is a fitting recognition for a leader who has played a key role in shaping India’s political and cultural landscape for over six decades.
Advani, who is now 95 years old, started his public life as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation. He joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP, in 1951 and became its president in 1973. He was one of the prominent leaders who opposed the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975 and was jailed for 19 months.
After the Janata Party experiment failed, Advani became the president of the newly formed BJP in 1980. He steered the party towards a more assertive Hindutva ideology, which appealed to a large section of the Hindu population. He launched the famous Rath Yatra in 1990 to mobilise support for the Ram temple movement in Ayodhya, which culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. The Rath Yatra also propelled the BJP to become a major national force, winning 120 seats in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections.
Advani was the deputy prime minister and home minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government from 1998 to 2004. He was instrumental in strengthening India’s security and defence capabilities, especially after the nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1998. He also initiated several peace initiatives with Pakistan, such as the Lahore bus journey in 1999 and the Agra summit in 2001.
Advani is widely regarded as an individual of great intellectual ability, strong principles, and unwavering support for the idea of a strong and prosperous India. He has been a loyal friend and colleague of Vajpayee, who also received the Bharat Ratna in 2015. He has always followed the principles of honesty, integrity, and national unity. He has inspired many people with his speeches and writings. He has also been a prolific parliamentarian, making exemplary interventions on various issues.
Advani’s decades-long service in public life has been marked by an unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity, setting an exemplary standard in political ethics. He has made unparalleled efforts towards furthering national unity and cultural resurgence. The conferring of the Bharat Ratna on him is a very emotional moment for him and his admirers. He has truly earned this honour for his valuable contribution to the nation.
Jai Hind
