Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch L K Advani has refused to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar, defying the express wishes of the party high command in general, and BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi in particular.
Pakistan made a tactical error in not investing enough in L K Advani, former R&AW chief A S Dulat tells Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com
'Advani went by the book, by files, by advice given by his babus. He may be well read and articulate and a pleasant conversationalist, but none of that makes for the kind of creative politician that Vajpayee was.' 'This is the kind of observation about the Vajpayee premiership, more than the promise of espionage or Kashmir gossip, that made writing A S Dulat's book a satisfying experience,' says Aditya Sinha.
A rotating chief ministership as a way to appease factions can work only if there is a credible guarantor, explains Aditi Phadnis.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani, who had initially opposed naming of Narendra Modi as PM candidate, on Sunday showered praise on him but cautioned against "over confidence" which had spoiled the party's chance of retaining power in 2004.
'The values for which he stood for are still a benchmark. He was a prominent leader of the Ram temple movement and did not hesitate to quit office, so that a grand temple for Lord Ram may be built in Ayodhya.'
Modi can abandon the path of Hindutva only at risk to his position within his own fraternity. But if he pursues a hard line, he faces the risk of being hauled up by his coalition-partners. For the first time in a decade, Modi is not in enviable situation, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Babri mosque in Ayodhya was demolished by karsevaks on December 6, 1992.
For the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's big move to push through his 'one-nation-one-election' concept promises to be the big ticket idea which can disrupt conventional calculations and allow it to frame the upcoming Lok Sabha polls along helpful lines as the party believes the issue has the potential to catch popular imagination.
Advani denied his involvement in the alleged conspiracy along with 'kar sevaks' to demolish the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. He pleaded he was completely innocent and was unnecessarily dragged in the case owing to political reasons.
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav died in Medanta hospital of Gurugram on Monday. He was 82.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Lord Ram -- will be attended by people from all walks of life, including representatives of major spiritual and religious sects of the country and of various tribal communities and prominent personalities.
It is not immediately clear if they have to be present in court or can appear through a video conference due to restrictions imposed to fight the spread of coronavirus.
In its mouthpiece, Saamna, the Sena said that the veteran's comments about the Emergency cannot be ignored.
Narendra Modi and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani are among the ten members of Parliament elected from Gujarat, who are facing criminal charges.
'The BJP is using administrative machinery to fight elections'
There were some tense moments since the chamber is a few metres away from the prime minister's chamber.
Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Thaawarchand Gehlot, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Santosh Gangwar, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, BJP national general-secretary Arun Singh and party MP Maneka Gandhi also visited the hospital to know about his wellbeing.
The 91-year-old leader said, 'Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as our adversaries.'
Vajpayee held consultations with Deputy Prime Minister Advani, BJP president Venkaiah Naidu and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh in this regard on Monday night.
To promote Advani as a moderate is as much a travesty of truth as to present the children of Godse as followers of Gandhi, feels Poornima Joshi
Akali Dal member of Parliament and former speaker of the Punjab assembly, Charanjit Singh Atwal, was today unanimously elected Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.
Books and films were the bonding factors for his friendship with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Kishenchand Advani said.
In switching over, Nitish has sent out a message that if he could not now become the NDA's PM, then he would need to stay on as CM at the very least, which a third term for Modi would not let him have, N Sathiya Moorthy points out.
Chairing a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party in the absence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani said the suggestion, initially made by Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, will be discussed extensively at different levels within th
He met Chinese President Hu Jintao in St Petersburg on Saturday as part of efforts to know each other and to create a proper atmosphere for the upcoming visit.
Former Union Minister Gingee N Ramachandran on Saturday said he resigned only to avoid embarrassment to the National Democratic Alliance government and to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The deputy prime minister's comments come after the prime minister's remarks that he was 'fit and ready' for elections.
The entire opposition, including the BJPs ally the Bahujan Samaj Party, boycotted the function saying that they did not want to 'give credibility' to the activities and 'divisive policies' of Savarkar.
The proceedings in the case at the Central Bureau of Investigation court in Lucknow ended on Tuesday with the advocates for some of 32 accused presenting their oral arguments.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances