LK Advani’s memoirs give BJP leaders a sense of relief

NEW DELHI: Skirting problematic details and sticking to public facts on the crucial events in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), LK Advani’s book My Country My Life gave a sense of relief to party leaders unaware of its content. Those who knew brushed aside queries with “arre kuch nahin hai (there is nothing in it)”.

As it happens, the book released on Wednesday evening would not really create problems for the party or any of its leaders. Some see it as “a PR exercise”, others as intended to gain centre stage in the public eye and project Advani’s personality and leadership, his vision, contribution and achievements, at a time when elections are drawing close.

The speculation earlier was, would Advani, the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA’s) prime ministerial candidate, expose or embarrass or would he play safe in the book?

As an observer argued, people generally write memoirs after they are done with it all and write with a devil-may-care approach, not bothering who they hurt or offend. Not so with Indian politicians. Moreover, Advani is not done with it yet. He is the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA.

A visionary with an inclusive view of society and the nation, and a true, hardcore RSS worker, the two aspects of Advani were repeatedly stressed upon – by different speakers – at the book release.

The function attracted a substantial gathering from different walks of life and political parties. Advani, thanking all present, regretted that Atal Behari Vajpayee could not come and thanked him for sending his foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya and daughter Namita. He also thanked his ideological family, the RSS, and his own family for making his life happy and meaningful, but refused to say anything about the book. “What I have to say, I have said it in the book,” he said.

Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh said it was a timely book and long overdue. Advani is the most misread and misrepresented leader today, he asserted, saying he was committed unambiguously to an integrative, inclusive, non-denominational polity.