Advani turns to philosophy to deflect criticism

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief LK Advani today took refuge in the Bhagvad Gita to counter the hostility he has been facing from the Sangh Parivar after his recent remarks on Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi.

During a function marking the release of a book on the Bhagvad Gita, Advani said the Gita held many lessons for him, in "his current state of mind".

"Many a time I felt that I should escape from the situation, but Lord Krishna's words to Arjuna on the battlefield kept coming back to me. That, if you have a just aim, you should continue to fight regardless of the opponent, who may be a dear one," he said.

Advani's comments came at a time when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Margdarshak Mandal meet in Haridwar took a step further today, asking Advani to resign from his Lok Sabha seat Gandhinagar as well.

This is after the VHP asked Advani yesterday to retire from politics and resign from the position of the Leader of the Opposition and as BJP president. But reported differences within the VHP over the Advani issue and pressure from the RSS resulted in the organisation toning down its attack on the BJP president.

The VHP said there was always scope for Advani to "repent and work for the benefit of Hindus." "The scope for kshyama (pardon) is always there. He (Advani) will have to consider the influence of saints and talk to them," said VHP senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore.

He was responding to a question on BJP's outright rejection of the VHP resolution.

With Acharya Avichal Das of Gujarat and Mahant Keshav Das of Digamvar Akhara openly declaring that they were willing to forgive Advani if he worked for the cause of Hindus, Kishore conceded that VHP's viewpoint was different from that of religious leaders.

But when asked if the VHP, too, would forgive Advani if the saints did so, Kishore said, "The saints do not work under (VHP general secretary) Praveen Togadia. The VHP works as per the guidance of the religious leaders."

Advani, on his part, said there was no question of his resigning from any post.

"I have already said all that I had to say on the matter," he said. According to sources, the Shankara-charya of the Pejawara mutt in Udupi, Swami Vishveshwara Teertha, spoke to Advani over the telephone, in an attempt to reassure him. Advani apparently told him that he would not be resigning.

The BJP has come out strongly in protest against the VHP's resolution, with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee calling up party Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, saying the party needed to condemn this attack on Advani.

Naidu duly sent a statement from Chennai, condemning the VHP's resolution.