New Delhi: BJP president Nitin Nabin Sunday said the opposition should learn from party veteran and former deputy prime minister L K Advani that all political parties must stand together whenever the country faces a challenge.
“Whenever he spoke in Parliament, he always said that the BJP will be with the government on issues related to the country’s security despite being in the Opposition. As a Leader of the Opposition, he said very clearly that the entire Opposition would be with the government when it came to the country. This is something people need to learn even today,” Nabin said at a special event held at the party headquarters to mark Advani’s 100th birthday.
Nabin said Advani and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had very different temperaments and distinct personalities, but their ability to work together towards a common goal, in one direction and with one voice, was unparalleled and everyone in the BJP should learn from that.
Nabin described Advani as an inspiration for everyone in the organisation, saying his dedication to the nation-first ideology had proved the party’s critics wrong about the BJP’s growth and expansion.
“As India moves forward into the 21st century, the Bharatiya Janata Party is also moving ahead with its expansion and development. The BJP is working to take forward both the heritage of this country and the legacy of the party,” he said.
“At such a time, the dignity that politics should uphold, the probity that politics should maintain and the sensitivity that politics should demonstrate — I say that if today’s generation is to learn these values from any personality, the best example is always Advani Ji, whose personality embodies probity,” he added
He said that although he had not had the opportunity to work with Advani, accounts from those who had worked with the veteran leader had shown him how inspirational his life had been.
“He could take even hard decisions with simplicity,” the BJP president said.
Nabin said Advani, despite having endured the pain of Partition, had shown immense dedication to the nation.
He credited Advani and Vajpayee with laying the foundation for the BJP’s growth from a party with just two Lok Sabha MPs, saying their determination had helped the organisation overcome the initial atmosphere of uncertainty following its formation.
Nabin said he wanted to assure Advani that BJP workers would work to take the party forward in accordance with his vision.
Recalling the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and Advani’s rath yatra, Nabin referred to the slogan “We will build the temple right there”, saying it had been raised by BJP workers and crores of people across the country.
He recalled that the yatra was halted in Bihar at Samastipur, where an attempt was made to stop it, but said kar sevaks had carried forward Advani’s journey.
Nabin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken that journey forward.
“The country has witnessed the magnificent Shri Ram Temple standing in Ayodhya and this is a day for all of us to remember Advani’s journey,” he said.
Earlier, senior Union minister and BJP treasurer Piyush Goyal recalled his association with Advani, saying the veteran leader never made anyone feel how senior or influential he was and was fondly called ‘dada’ by party workers.
“Advani only thought about taking the country and taking the party forward with complete selflessness,” Goyal said, wishing him a long life.
“We all wish that this country continues to get a leader like Lal Krishna Advani,” he said.
Goyal said Advani had always treated him like a family member and had known him by the nickname ‘Happy’.
He also said the hard work and commitment of leaders like Advani had helped the BJP increase its Lok Sabha tally while that of the Congress declined.
