LK Advani turns 99: PM Modi recalls BJP veteran’s role in shaping party’s political journey

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has penned an extensive tribute to veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, recalling his contribution to the party’s growth, his association with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his influence on several phases of Indian politics.

In an piece published by India Today on Sunday, as Advani turns 99, PM Modi described him as one of the few political figures whose life has intersected with multiple chapters of modern India.

"Very few people whose lives have touched so many different chapters of modern India," PM Modi wrote, highlighting Advani’s contribution to the Jana Sangh and the subsequent expansion of the BJP.

The Prime Minister credited Advani with helping establish the BJP as a major political force during his years at the helm of the organisation. Referring to the party’s electoral performance during Advani’s tenures as president, PM Modi noted that the BJP emerged as the single-largest party in Parliament for the first time in 1996.

He also recalled Advani’s role in developing the party’s organisational structure and nurturing successive generations of workers. According to PM Modi, the veteran leader provided the BJP with a foundation based on the principle of "Nation First".

The prime minister's piece also puts light on Advani’s association with Vajpayee, with whom he worked closely for several decades. Recalling their partnership, PM Modi said the two leaders demonstrated how senior political figures could work together over an extended period without allowing their individual positions to become a source of competition.

Among the personal recollections in the article is PM Modi’s association with Advani during the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. The Prime Minister recalled how the BJP leader was selected to contest from Gandhinagar in Gujarat, a constituency with which he had an established connection.

PM Modi, who was involved in the BJP’s organisational activities at the time, said he had helped prepare Advani’s election papers and assisted him during the campaign.

He also recalled voting for Advani in Gandhinagar on several occasions and praised the attention the veteran leader devoted to his constituency.

The Prime Minister further referred to Advani’s early organisational work in Delhi, where he became chairman of the Delhi Metropolitan Council in 1967. Before moving to the national capital, Advani had worked as an RSS pracharak in different parts of Rajasthan.

PM Modi also recalled Advani’s role during the Emergency imposed in 1975 and his subsequent experiences in prison, which were documented in his book A Prisoner's Scrap-Book. The Prime Minister referred to a chapter titled 'A Tale of Two Emergencies', which discusses the Emergency in India and events in Nazi Germany in 1933.

Later, in the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, Advani served as Union Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. PM Modi credited him with contributing to the strengthening of India's security framework and recalled his position on countering terrorism.

One of the most significant episodes in Advani’s political career, according to the Prime Minister, was the Somnath-Ayodhya Rath Yatra. PM Modi said he had been involved in the initiative from its planning stage through its execution.

Recalling the physical demands of the journey, he described Advani as a leader who displayed considerable endurance while travelling long distances and addressing people across the country.

Beyond politics and public office, the Prime Minister also wrote about Advani’s interest in books, cinema, theatre and history. He described the BJP veteran as a voracious reader who followed newspapers closely and had a keen interest in films and theatre.

PM Modi also referred to Advani’s autobiography, My Country, My Life, and his efforts to promote awareness of Sindhi culture. Among these initiatives was the popularisation of the Sindhu Darshan Puja near Leh, which PM Modi said he had attended alongside Advani and former Defence Minister George Fernandes.

The article also acknowledges the contribution of Advani’s wife, Kamla Advani, whom PM Modi described as a constant source of support throughout the veteran leader’s public life.

Concluding his tribute, the Prime Minister recalled that Advani was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2024, recognising his decades of public service. He wished the veteran leader good health as he entered his 100th year.

Meanwhile, the BJP is organising a special programme at its central headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday to mark Advani’s 99th birthday. According to a party statement, the celebrations will begin at 10 am with a puja and hawan, followed by a screening of a 20-minute video documenting his life, speeches and political journey.

BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Union Minister Piyush Goyal are scheduled to address the gathering. Advani’s daughter, Pratibha Advani, will also attend and share her thoughts on the occasion.

The programme will conclude with the distribution of prasad. The party said the event would recognise Advani’s contribution to its organisational development and his long association with public life.

The veteran leader was hospitalised several times in 2024, including at Apollo Hospitals and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). In December 2024, he received treatment in intensive care before being discharged on December 25.

In March 2024, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna on Advani at his residence in Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and other senior leaders.

Born in Karachi before Partition, Advani moved to India in 1947 and went on to serve as BJP president on three occasions. His political career spans his early work with the Jana Sangh, the formation and expansion of the BJP, and key responsibilities in the Union government.