L K Advani's last attempt to fulfill his ambition through Jan Chetna Yatra

Senior most BJP leader L K Advani has begun his 38-day Jan Chetna Yatra from Bihar’s Sitabdiara to take on the UPA government on the corruption issue and press for return of black money stashed away abroad. The BJP patriarch has undertaken this yatra primarily to exploit the situation of disenchantment of the people with the UPA Government over the rising corruption and inflation in favour his party in general and himself in particular. He also wants to show the second line of leaders of his party that he is still not old enough to write him off from the race of prime ministerial candidate if ever the opportunity comes to elect by the parliamentary party.

Undoubtedly, L K Advani is the tallest and most experienced leader of BJP after the retirement of former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Advani has only one hurdle in leadership tussle in Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the strongest prime ministerial party candidate among the second line of leaders. There is also strong rumour that the difference has arisen between Modi and Advani over the issue of the projection of prime ministerial candidate by the party. Modi has already undertaken 3-sadhbhavna fast to project himself in this regard. Due to Narendra Modi’s reluctance over Advani’s Jan Chetna yatra, he changed the place from Gujarat to start to Sitabdiara in Bihar, which is the birth place of the great socialist leader and exponent of Sampoorn Kranti Jaiprakash Narayan who is credited with changing the Congress Government in 1977 for the first time after independence through his movement against corruption and authoritarianism.

Except the Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, the entire BJP leaders have supported Advani’s Yatra. They also want, especially the second line of leaders, to stop Modi in his tracks for prime ministerial race. As UPA-II is under tremendous pressure to deal with corruption, it has been pushed into corner.

L K Advani is at the fag end of political career and is a man of vaulting ambition by nature. He sees a ray of hope to fulfill his last desire in the atmosphere of disillusionment with the Congress-led UPA Government in the country. He also sees the situation as his last opportunity to make vigorous attempt for the post of prime minister. That is why he has undertaken the arduous Jan Chetna Yatra.

It is also well known that BJP is remote controlled by Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS). It is also the political arm of RSS. RSS is not favourably bent towards L K Advani to project him as prime ministerial candidate on the basis of his becoming over age. Advani is 83 years old. But the fierce opposition to Narendra Modi and internecine war among second line of leaders over projection of prime ministerial candidate by the party make L K Advani the supreme leader of BJP for the top job the nation if the opportunity arises. Advani knows the internal equation of his party very well.

L K Advani is veteran of the politics of Yatra. This is his seventh Yatra. Among his yatras, the one he undertook in 1991 called Rath Yatra for Ayodhya to build Ram temple on the disputed site of Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid. This Yatra is only memorable among the public. Because it polaralised the country on communal line. That is the reason Advani’s secular credentials have not ever been beyond doubt, though burning desire for the post of prime minister compels him time and again in the last ten years to violate even party ideology. And this is also the reason this time to choose Sitabdiara to start his Jan Chetna Yatra, spanning 38 days and covering 7000 Kms.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is counted among the best chief minister in the country. His secular credentials have never been in doubt, despite being the part and parcel of NDA with BJP. Among the chief ministers in the race for prime ministerial candidate, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also comes on top from the NDA block. He has also flagged off Advani’s Jan Chetana Yatra because of his subdued ambition for the post of prime minister if ever the opportunity arises in case of BJP’s failure to reach consensus on Advani’s name and the entire NDA was left to decide. Nitish Kumar always kept distance from Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and never allowed his secular ground to slip. If he keeps Advani in good humour, it would be easy for him to get his support for his ambitious cause like in 2005 at the time of election of NDA legislative party leader to sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar. L K Advani had fully backed him. That is why he is reciprocating him.