Opposition should follow Advani and support the government on national issues: Nabin

New Delhi: BJP president Nitin Nabin on Sunday said the opposition should take a cue from party veteran and former deputy prime minister L K Advani, who believed that all political parties must come together whenever the nation faces a crisis. “Whenever he spoke in Parliament, he always said that although the BJP was in the Opposition, it would stand with the government on matters concerning the country’s security. As Leader of the Opposition, he made it very clear that the entire Opposition would support the government when it came to the nation.

People need to learn this even today,” Nabin said at a special event at the party headquarters to celebrate Advani’s 100th birthday. Nabin said Advani and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had very different temperaments and personalities, yet their ability to work together toward a shared goal, with one voice and one direction, was unmatched. He said every BJP worker should draw inspiration from that example.

Describing Advani as an inspiration for everyone in the organisation, Nabin said his commitment to a nation-first ideology had proven critics of the BJP wrong about the party’s rise and expansion. “As India advances into the 21st century, the Bharatiya Janata Party is also moving forward with its expansion and development. The BJP is working to carry ahead both this country’s heritage and the party’s legacy,” he said.

“At a time like this, the dignity politics should uphold, the integrity it should maintain and the sensitivity it should show — if today’s generation must learn these values from any personality, the best example is always Advani Ji, whose life reflects integrity,” he added. He said that while he had not had the chance to work with Advani personally, stories from those who had worked with the veteran leader had shown him how inspiring his life truly was. “He could make even tough decisions with simplicity,” the BJP president said.

Nabin also said that despite the pain he had endured during Partition, Advani had remained deeply devoted 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 resolve helped the organisation overcome the uncertainty that surrounded it in its early days. Nabin said he wanted to assure Advani that BJP workers would continue to move the party forward in line 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 millions of people across the country. He recalled that the yatra was stopped in Bihar at Samastipur when an attempt was made to block it, but said kar sevaks carried Advani’s journey forward. Nabin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken that journey ahead.

“The country has seen 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 affectionately called “dada” by party workers. “Advani only ever thought about taking the country and the party forward with complete selflessness,” Goyal said, while 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 family and knew him by the nickname “Happy.” He also said the hard work and dedication of leaders like Advani had helped the BJP increase its Lok Sabha strength while the Congress declined.