Turnaround: Advani has reason to feel smug today

After all the internal squabbling, opposition from the RSS, the squirming and embarrassment he must have undergone facing snide remarks and jibes from party colleagues and media alike, Lal Krishna Advani, has reasons to feel somewhat vindicated –even smug perhaps—at the way events have played out as he embarks on his 38-day yatra against corruption. In the process the 83-year old BJP patriarch has also proved that when it comes to real politik and strategy — at least within the BJP — it’s still difficult to beat an old, battle scarred and experienced campaigner like him in the world’s most youthful country. [caption id=“attachment_104603” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Advani did not once say that he was pulling out of the race for the post of Prime Minister.Reuters”]  [/caption] A quick recap of the events in the run up to this Yatra shows how Advani first seized an opportunity out of nowhere — surprising many even in his party when he announced his decision to start a nationwide Yatra against corruption. He then faced opposition from his party colleagues and the RSS, had to fly down and virtually grovel at the RSS headquarters to secure it’s support and go ahead for his yatra. He blunted the attack on himself, softened opposition and made sure that notwithstanding all the pressure and humiliation heaped on him on the issue, he did not once say that he was pulling out of the race for the post of Prime Minister. On the day the Yatra has begun, Advani can look back on the events of the past few weeks with some satisfaction and pat himself on the way he has played his cards and come out both with his political strategy and dignity intact. Plans for the Yatra began with practically everybody in the party opposing it. Nobody liked the idea of Advani bringing himself once again centre stage in the party affairs. But Narendra Modi’s decision to suddenly pitchfork himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate left the entire second generation leadership of the party nervous and worried. The Sushmas, Jaitleys and even Nitin Gadkari — all of whom see themselves as potential PM candidates—realized that their best best at the moment to somehow check Narendra Modi, was to support Advani’s Rathyatra. Ironically Advani’s age also comes to his aid — at least in short term—while trying to settle intra-party equations. Every other aspirant for the top job in the BJP sees Advani as the least threatening figure from a long term perspective. His advancing years means that whenever the leadership question comes up for settlement within the party most leaders would rather support Advani than anyone else as that still leaves their medium to long term hopes alive. Just imagine if a Modi, Sushma, Jaitley or Gadkari is chosen for the top job, the others can say goodbye to their ambition for good! Advani can also derive some satisfaction over the fact that his Yatra is being flagged off by Nitish Kumar. This again gives Advani an advantage over Narendra Modi and provides an interesting twist to the Modi-Advani duel. Nitish loses no opportunity to distance himself from Modi and even humiliate the Gujarat strongman. His presence at the Advani rally and his decision to flag off the anti-corruption can again be touted by Advani as being relatively more acceptable than Modi.