LK Advani's 'Emergency' gift to Opposition: Kejriwal, Nitish make hay of senior BJP leader's remarks

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s battle with the Narendra Modi government got a much needed boost with BJP veteran LK Advani’s comments on the lack of commitment to civil liberties and his fear that not much has been done to prevent the imposition of another Emergency.

“I don’t think anything has been done that gives me the assurance that civil liberties will not be suspended or destroyed again. Not at all,” the BJP veteran said when asked whether he believed there exists a possibility of Emergency being imposed in the country once again.

“At the present point of time, the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger,” Advani told The Indian Express in an exclusive interview. “But that it cannot happen again — I will not say that. It could be that fundamental liberties are curtailed again.”

Kejriwal was quick to piggyback on Advani’s remark, questioning whether the Narendra Modi government was already experimenting on an Emergency-like situation with his Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital.

“Advaniji is correct in saying that emergency can’t be ruled out. Is Delhi their first experiment?” the Delhi chief minister tweeted, highlighting his government’s battle with the NDA government through the office of the Lieutenant Governor. Since assuming power, achieving full statehood for Delhi has been the top priority of his government.

Advani's interview is first indictment of Modi's politics.He is saying democracy is not safe,emergency is not far,under Modi's leadership.

— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) June 18, 2015

Since winning an unprecedent vote share in the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal has constantly been at logger-heads with L-G Najeeb Jung over the appointments of senior bureaucrats who play the larger role in governing the national capital. Both, Jung and Kejriwal, have even approached President Pranab Mukherjee seeking a direct order from him, with Kejriwal accusing the Modi government of implementing a dictatorship in the country.

“Whatever is happening in Delhi is dangerous. This is the Delhi experiment of the BJP-led Centre. One by one, this experiment would be implemented in every non-BJP state. They want to take the country towards dictatorship. I appeal to all non-BJP chief ministers to come together and unite on this issue,” Kejriwal had said, while accusing the Centre of interfering in the day-to-day administration of Delhi.

And with Advani, in a way, echoing his sentiments, Kejriwal may well attempt to gain political support from the BJP veteran’s remarks which perhaps hinted at the present ruling dispensation.

When asked what he felt India lacked as a polity that makes it vulnerable to the Emergency-like situation, Advani said:

“I do not see any sign in our polity that assures me, any outstanding aspect of leadership. A commitment to democracy and to all other aspects related to democracy is lacking… From what I can see, the number of people in this generation who are committed to democracy and civil liberties is going down.”

But the RSS and the BJP rejected claims that Advani was referring to the current Modi government. RSS ideologue MG Vaidya said Advani is a member of the BJP’s Magadarshak Mandal and he did not think he was sending a message to Modi.

“I don’t feel anything like that. He (Advani) is quite senior in age and experience. So he can talk to Modi. He is in the ‘Margdarshak Mandal’ of BJP. I don’t think he has an intention of sending a message to Modi through this interview,” Vaidya said.

“I think Advanji was referring to institutions rather than to individuals. I respect his views, but I personally don’t see emergency, any chance of any emergency being reimposed in the country. I think that age is over, Indian democracy is too strong, much stronger now,” BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar said.

The Opposition, including the Congress, utilised the statement given by Advani.

“We all know who he is hinting at. He himself was a victim of Emergency and if he is saying that Emergency-like conditions can develop again and anti-democratic forces are becoming stronger, then it speaks volumes of what he has in mind,”   Indian Express  quoted Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh as saying.

Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan latched on to Advani’s remarks saying the “jury is out” from the ruling party itself and he was indeed hinting at “emergency-like” situation under Modi’s rule.

“Today the jury is out. Advaniji is vocal. What he had to say, he has said,” he told reporters.

“It is obvious whom he is talking about, whose government is there, who is the Prime Minister. He knows it. But he is a statesman-like leader of the BJP. He did not want to name the Prime Minister. But whoever reads the interview, he/she would understand he is talking about Modi,” Vadakkan said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar supported the concern of Advani that Emergency-like situation could emerge again and said that Bihar was “facing it on a daily basis”.

“Advani is among the senior-most leaders of BJP and his concerns should be considered seriously. As far as Emergency-like situation is concerned, we are facing it here on a daily basis,” Kumar said in Patna.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also tweeted on Advani’s remarks.

Advani Ji proved that our concerns regarding anti-democratic elements & activities being sponsored & promoted by union govt are correct.

— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) June 18, 2015

Already there is undeclared emergency as authoritarian & Hitlerian tendencies prevailing in country since May14. We hv exp. to win over it

— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) June 18, 2015

SP leader Naresh Aggarwal remarked that that if Advani has expressed a worry, it was for the government to consider it seriously as a veteran member of their party has expressed a concern like this.

“The system that is going on in the country at this time is not democratic and somewhere the dictatorship attitude is reflecting,” he said.

That Advani has not shared a good relationship with Team Modi was made clear since campaigning began for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

In April this year, the BJP leadership chose not to send a formal invitation to 87-year-old Advani for the party’s 35th foundation day. This, days after he refused speak at the party’s national executive meet in Bengaluru.

Many may dismiss Advani as an insignificant leader in the current party leadership, however, it has to be noted that his comments have come at a time when the BJP government is already facing flak over the Lalit Modi-Sushma Swaraj row. They could well put the party in a spot ahead of the Bihar elections due later this year where the party hopes to win with a large margin post its Delhi debacle.

(With inputs fromk PTI)