{"id":23728,"date":"2025-11-10T07:51:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T07:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/10\/how-advanis-praise-for-jinnah-on-pakistani-soil-sealed-his-political-fate-20-years-ago-politics-news\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T07:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T07:51:13","slug":"how-advanis-praise-for-jinnah-on-pakistani-soil-sealed-his-political-fate-20-years-ago-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/10\/how-advanis-praise-for-jinnah-on-pakistani-soil-sealed-his-political-fate-20-years-ago-politics-news\/","title":{"rendered":"How Advani’s Praise For Jinnah On Pakistani Soil Sealed His Political Fate 20 Years Ago | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Last Updated:<\/span>

Shashi Tharoor’s tribute to LK Advani on his 98th birthday has reignited debate over Advani’s legacy, recalling the latter’s praise for Jinnah and his political decline<\/h2>\n
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LK Advani’s influence in BJP declined after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. (News18 Hindi)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor\u2019s recent tribute to senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani has once again brought the veteran politician back into the national spotlight. On Advani\u2019s 98th birthday, Tharoor compared him to the country\u2019s former prime ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He wrote that just as Nehru\u2019s legacy cannot be judged solely by the 1962 India-China war and Indira Gandhi\u2019s career cannot be defined by the 1975 Emergency, the same generosity of assessment should be extended to Advani.<\/p>\n

The remark, however, triggered a political storm. The Congress party promptly distanced itself from Tharoor\u2019s comments, but the conversation revived public memory of Advani\u2019s complex legacy, especially one controversial moment that nearly cost him his political career.<\/p>\n

For decades, Lal Krishna Advani was one of the tallest figures in Indian politics. As a founding pillar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he shaped its ideological framework and organisational strength. He played a central role in building the movement for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and was instrumental in bringing the BJP from the margins of politics to the corridors of power. Yet, there was one episode in his long career when his own party turned against him; his visit to Pakistan in 2005, when he praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah.<\/p>\n

It was a year after the BJP\u2019s defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Advani, then the Opposition leader, travelled to Pakistan in May 2005 for a six-day visit aimed at strengthening the peace process between the two countries. During his stay, he visited Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, meeting senior Pakistani leaders, including then-President Pervez Musharraf. The agenda was forward-looking, trade, cultural ties, and cooperation against terrorism. He also inaugurated the restoration work of the ancient Katas Raj Temple, a site of deep religious significance for Hindus.<\/p>\n

But the turning point came when Advani visited the mausoleum of Pakistan\u2019s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Karachi. Accompanied by his wife Kamla and daughter Pratibha, Advani grew emotional at the site. In the visitor\u2019s book, he wrote that while many people leave marks on history, \u201cvery few actually make history”, and Jinnah was one of them. He also praised Jinnah\u2019s August 11, 1947 speech to Pakistan\u2019s Constituent Assembly, calling it a vision of a secular state that guaranteed religious freedom to all citizens.<\/p>\n

These remarks, released to the media by his aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, created an uproar back home. Within hours, the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were in shock. The RSS chief at the time, KS Sudarshan, publicly criticised Advani, saying Jinnah\u2019s Pakistan was born out of religious division and could never be described as secular. BJP hardliners accused Advani of betraying the party\u2019s core ideology. Protests broke out in several states, with party workers demanding his resignation.<\/p>\n

Even though former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee chose to remain silent, other senior leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi and Govindacharya voiced their disapproval. Under intense pressure, Advani was eventually forced to resign as BJP president.<\/p>\n

The episode marked a turning point in Advani\u2019s political journey. His attempt to project a more moderate image of Hindutva was seen by many as a move to make himself acceptable beyond the BJP\u2019s core base. Ironically, while his stature outside the party grew, his influence within the BJP steadily declined.<\/p>\n

By the time the 2009 Lok Sabha elections arrived, Advani was officially declared the BJP\u2019s prime ministerial candidate. Yet, the party suffered a major defeat, partly attributed to the lack of enthusiasm among its own cadre and the RSS. The defeat deepened Advani\u2019s isolation within the party.<\/p>\n

Then came 2014. Narendra Modi emerged as the BJP\u2019s new face, leading the party to a historic majority. From that point on, Advani gradually retreated from active politics. He last contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and has since maintained a low profile, withdrawing from the political stage after the 2019 general elections.<\/p>\n

First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n
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November 10, 2025, 13:02 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

News<\/a> politics<\/a> How Advani’s Praise For Jinnah On Pakistani Soil Sealed His Political Fate 20 Years Ago<\/span><\/div>\n
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Last Updated:November 10, 2025, 13:02 IST Shashi Tharoor’s tribute to LK Advani on his 98th birthday has reignited debate over Advani’s legacy, recalling the latter’s praise for Jinnah and his political decline LK Advani’s influence in BJP declined after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. (News18 Hindi) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor\u2019s recent tribute to senior BJP…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}