HVK Archives: Advani gains a new stature
Advani gains a new stature - The Observer
Dina Nath Mishra
()
3 July 1997
Title: Advani gains a new stature
Author: Dina Nath Mishra
Publication: The Observer
Date: July 3, 1997
Referring to the swarna jayanti rath yatra, the SP president and defence
minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has said, "I pity BJP president Lal Krishna
Advani. Despite his swarna jayanti rath yatra running across the country
for more than one month to mark India's 50 years of Independence, Mr Advani
had failed to hit page one headlines, earlier due to the Congress president
Sitaram Kesri's party election and now because of Bihar chief minister
Laloo Prasad Yadav's high drama in the fodder scam ... Mr Advani had been
bitten by the "power bug", he wanted to occupy the Delhi top post at any
cost ... if it would not have been for the hawala case, Mr Advani himself
would have become the Prime Minister, instead of allowing Mr Atal Behari
Vajpayee". One can have a differing perception, but a man occupying a high
position like Mulayam Singh Yadav should not go wrong on facts. Much
before the hawala case announcement in mid-January 1996, Advani had
declared in October, 1995 that BJP's prime ministerial candidate would be
Atal Behari Vajpayee. A few days later, he repeated this in Mumbai session
of the party. During the whole course of swarna jayanti rath yatra, in no
speech does he skip mentioning that for a good government, people should
strive to make Atal Behari Vajpayee the Prime Minister for full five years.
I distinctly remember Advani projecting Vajpayee as future Prime Minister
during the five days this writer was with rath yatra to cover it.
Top BJP and RSS leaders have been pleading with him to continue as
president of the party after amending the party constitution. But he has
refused time and again. He says that he himself had brought the amendment
of two-term limit for presidentship of the party in the BJP constitution,
and he would not go back on this. In contrast, one can see how much
internal fight has taken place in Janata Dal and the Congress during the
last two months for the post of the president. Sitaram Kesri employed
innovative rigging in the party elections. There were numerous protests
from various states. Newspapers were full of negative stories. Space
available in the newspapers was consumed by them. After Congress elections,
the fight in Janata Dal for presidentship between Laloo Prasad Yadav and
Sharad Yadav, coupled with fodder scam related news occupied the available
news space. To that extent, Mulayam Singh is correct.
But one must realise that there is a vast difference between negative and
positive publicity. Negative publicity generated for Congress, Janata Dal
and UF government has created enormous disillusionment among the people in
the whole country. It has resulted in political vacuum. Contrary to this,
the yatra has generated positive impression throughout the length and
breadth of the country. It fills this political vacuum. While every other
group is either engaged in internal fight or camouflaging the scandals, the
BJP engaged in a historic yatra. This gives a contrasting and positive
image to the party.
But his conclusion, Advani 'missing the headlines', is not totally correct,
for rath yatra was publicised on front pages in all the local and
state-level newspapers. During the first 20 days, yatra news appeared in
national newspapers only in bits and pieces. But later, the success story
of the yatra could not be ignored. From Orissa journey till date, it got
the full attention of the media. There is a reason for it. Earlier, the
tremendous response to rath yatra in the states like Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh bore no surprise, for these were the
established strongholds of the BJP.
But once the yatra entered Orissa and Bengal, the greeting and responsive
crowds surprised all its opponents.
Mass mobilisation and direct communication with the people are the basic
duties of any political party. In our country, most of the political
parties neglect them. There activities are restricted to elections and
newspaper statements. BJP president L K Advani has developed an innovative
procedure of mass communication and mobilisation through rath yatras. The
latest yatra is the longest for it would cover 15,000 km and 21 states and
union territories. Eighty per cent of it already over. The enthusiasm and
participation of the masses were invariably immense and mammoth. Even in
Kerala, it surprised the organisers of rath yatra as well as opponents and
the Leftist government there. The turnout in South India too was quite
heartening for organisers. Yatra was there for five days in Bengal.
I have seen the tremendous crowd it attracted. Apart from this, thousands
of people greeted the yatra along the way with folded hands, showering
flowers on the rath, and worshipping it was common site.
I was told by journalists accompanying the whole of yatra that blowing
conch and performing puja of rath we the common features in the tribal
areas. of all the states.
In Bengal alone, Advani has addressed not less then six to seven lakh
people. CPM leaders in West Bengal concede the immense response rath yatra
has got. But they say that it was more because of curiosity. But it can't
be transformed into votes. Calcutta newspapers have described the success
of yatra as a warning to Left Front government.
Secondly, this rath yatra is different from others in nature. Throughout
Advani has talked about the sacrifice-and spirit of freedom fighters and
wasted 50 years of development. Problems of the suffering people, malady
of corruptions the need to inculcate discipline and character of various
sections of society, including that of police, teachers, government
servants, students and others were the other points. This way the party
has generated a' hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.
A large section of the people want to bring BJP to power and make Atal
Behari Vajpayee the Prime Minister. The aspiration got a boost on the day
Vajpayee lost the vote of confidence. During this rath yatra, Advani has
added millions of people to those who are likely to vote for BJP to make
Vajpayee Prime Minister for a full five-year term. It was evident from the
cheers of the masses whenever Advani repeated this appeal to make Vajpayee
Prime Minister as and when election comes.
RSS secretary general H V Sheshadri has termed the endeavour of this rath
yatra of Advani as historic tapasya. It Is truly a tapasya. Advani starts
his day at 8.30 with a press conference. Then he embarks on the rath in
this hot weather. which continues till mid-night, some times up to 2.30 pm,
covering over 300 km. Practically, it is a truck journey for the rath is
erected on the chassis of a truck. Due to less load it jumps continuously,
and nobody can hold a glass of water.
It is no gainsaying that Advani has attained a new height in terms of image.
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