Leader of the Opposition
Born November 8, 1927 (1927-11-08) (age 80)
Karachi,British India
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse Kamla Advani
Children Pratibha Advani, Jayant Advani
Alma mater Bombay University
Occupation Lawyer
Religion Hindu
Signature Image:Signature of Lal Krishna Advani.jpg
Website BJP: Shri L.K Advani
Deputy Prime Minister of India and Minister for Home Affairs
In office
29 June 2002 – 20 May 2004
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by Chaudhari Devi Lal (Deputy from 1991)
Lal Krishna Advani (Home Affairs)
Succeeded by Office Abolished (Deputy)
Shivraj Patil (Home Affairs)
Lal Krishna Advani also known as Lal Kishenchand Advani (born 8 November 1927 is an Indian politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004 and is currently the Lok Sabha. He is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has named him as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the General Elections due in May 2009. He was conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 1999.
In 1984 his party formed from the erstwhile Jana Sangh had just two-seats out of 542 in parliament's lower-house called Lok Sabha and was on the brink of extinction. As the President he invigorated the party to be the leading political party in country's multi-party system.
Lal Krishna Advani was born in Karachi (then British India) to Kishanchand D. Advani and Gyani Devi. He entered the D.G. National College in Hyderabad, Sindh (now in Pakistan). He graduated with a law degree from the Government Law College, Bombay University.
Early political career
Advani joined the RSS in the year 1942.
He was the Sangh's Karachi branch secretary.
He was sent to Rajasthan as the Sangh's organiser in Mewat in 1947. This region (Alwar, Bharatpur) saw some of the worst partition violence.
He was actively involved in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and rose in the ranks of the Delhi branch of that party and was elected on the ticket of that party from 1970 to 1975.
Though not a practising lawyer, he argued on behalf of his party in 1974 before the Supreme Court in the Presidential reference whether election to the post of President could be held when the Gujarat Assembly was dissolved.
He was detained under the MISA act in Bangalore prison during the Emergency years (1975 to 1977).
From 1970 to 1989, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1989 and again in 1991, he was elected to Lok Sabha and in 1991, he held posts (refer to the section on posts held below).
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Advani is credited with turning the BJP into a significant force in Indian politics by undertaking the Ratha Yatra (Chariot tour) to mobilize support for building of a temple dedicated to Lord Ramain Ayodhya, believed to be his birthplace. At Lahore, he inaugurated the renovation of the Katasraj Temple, an ancient Hindu temple in Pakistan. Early in 2007, Advani met with archaeologists from Pakistan who had been visiting Indian temples to acquaint themselves with Hindu architecture. Advani made the positive gesture to Musharraf in a letter to the Pakistani leader in which he was effusive in his praise saying: "I wish to express my deep appreciation for this (the restoration of the Katasraj temples)." Elsewhere, he congratulated Musharraf for visiting the Shiva temple in Karachi in November-2006. "The people of India have also welcomed your visit to the Shiva temple in Karachi in November last year", he wrote in the letter.
In government
Lal Krishna Advani with Condoleezza Rice
Information and Broadcasting Minister in the Janata Party Government from 1977 to 1979.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, in 1980.
Leader of the Oppostition in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, from 1991 to 1993.
Home Minister in the Indian cabinet (1998 to May 2004).
Deputy Prime Minister in the Indian cabinet (June 2002 to May 2004).
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (2004 to present).
Babri Masjid demolition and the consequences
The BJP launched a decade-long movement led by Advani on the issue of the Ram Temple. The BJP demanded that a temple dedicated to Lord Rama be created on the spot where, according to their claim, a temple stood till Babar's invasion of India in 1528. The Ayodhya site is claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. A mosque there was torn down by violent Hindu extremists in 1992, sparking riots nationwide that cost 2,000 lives. Hindus consider Ayodhya a sacred place as it is reputed to be the site of the city of Ayodhya described in the Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana, and to be the site of Rama's birth. The disputed mosque was believed to be built on the site of an earlier temple dedicated to Rama. Speaking to correspondents on his appointment as President of the BJP, Advani said: "We must be candid enough to recognise the Hindu anger that exploded on the streets in the early 1990s has given way to a patient wait for the new temple whose construction, I feel is inevitable." However, he was unable to follow through on this, even during his period as Home Minister of the Republic (1998-2004). The reason often quoted is that the rule was by the NDA government and BJP was only a major part of the coalition government.
In appearances before the Liberhan Commission, a judicial body set up to investigate the Babri incident, Advani claimed that the demolition was the most agonising moment of his life. Advani was present in Ayodhya on the day the dome of the mosque was demolished, but had left the site the same day.
Many believe Advani is responsible for the mosque being destroyed and mainly for the violence occurred in its aftermath. "The blood of many Indian citizens is on the hands of Advani" was stated by many group leaders afterwards.
Prime Ministerial candidacy
In an interview with CNN-IBN in December 2006, L.K. Advani stated that as the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy, he considers himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the next general elections, scheduled for early 2009. This public revelation irritated colleagues within the party who are not supportive of his candidacy. In previous remarks, party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the press that the BJP would fight the next elections under a second-generation leader. Another factor is his age; he will already be 82 by the time the next government is formed. In addition, he has not managed to repair his relationship with the RSS following his Jinnah remarks. The chief of the RSS, K.S. Sudarshan made it clear that he wants Vajpayee and Advani to step aside for younger leaders.
The major factor going in his favor is that he has always been the second most powerful leader in the BJP behind Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who endorsed Advani's candidacy shortly after the interview was done. Rajnath Singh, BJP President, vaguely remarked that he is the "bridegroom" who will bring the "bride" to Delhi, sparking speculation that he too regarded himself as a candidate. Murli Manohar Joshi, once regarded as the number three leader in the party, told the press that there is no dearth of candidates.
On 2 May 2007, BJP President Rajnath Singh, in an interview, stated that: "After Atal there is only Advani. Advani is the natural choice. It is he who should be PM".
On 10 December 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced that L. K. Advani will be its prime ministerial candidate for the General Elections due in May 2009. This had the RSS stamp of approval.[ citation needed ] It came less than a day ahead of the fiercely contested Gujarat polls, leading pundits to believe that it was made to counter Narendra Modi's growing clout and the possibility of his ascent to the national scene.
Legal proceedings
After the demolition of the Ayodhya on 1992, a police FIR (first information report) was filed where Advani was named amongst other BJP and RSS leaders. The accusations of "inflammatory speeches to spread communal hatred" were leveled against them.
In 2003, a court in Rae Bareli dismissed the case against Advani , who was Home Minister in the cabinet at that time. However, on 6 June 2005, a high court in Allahabad set the Rae Bareli court order aside. This was widely seen as an indication that proceedings against Advani and the other accused would start again.
A special judicial magistrate in Rae Bareilly charged Advani with making "exciting and provocative speeches" which aroused the mobs to demolish the Babri Masjid. Advani said the reopening of this case would remind the masses about Ayodhya and resurrect the temple construction issue.
Internal problems after electoral defeat
The period after the NDA's electoral defeat in the 2004 general election has some important events.
Uma Bharati was suspended from the party for her outburst in a party meeting against the second rung leadership of the party.
The Jinnah controversy has caused internal party feuds and soured the relationship between the BJP and the RSS.
OnJuly 18, 2005, BJP leaders Madan Lal Khurana and Murali Manohar Joshi asked Advani to step down as the president of the party citing the following reasons
The party's principle of one person holding at most one post. Advani held the post of BJP party president and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha when the resignations were demanded.
A month later, Khurana told the press that he found it difficult to work with Advani and criticised his style of running the party. On 20 August 2005, Khurana was issued a show cause for his statements and threatened with suspension from the party. He w