PM's mega Diwali message -- Political Punch --- "Armed Naxals wiped out in forests, but Dimagi Naxals have infiltrated political parties"

"We must remember one thing. Naxalites have been eliminated, but the threat is not yet over. While armed Naxalites have been wiped out from the forests, 'Dimagi Naxals' have taken control of several organisations," PM Narendra Modi said at Bastar in Chhattisgarh.  

He said: "Even today, they are inciting people against the country's Constitution and democracy. These 'Dimagi Naxals' have also infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify them, defeat them and ensure the security of the nation."

 

As part of Diwali celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the CoBRA Operations Base in Karanpur and paid tribute to soldiers who laid down their lives. 

The base served as a training centre and launch pad for anti-Naxal operations in Bastar and Abujhmad.  

Modi said: 

"Our country has the capability to fulfil every resolve it makes. Today, when we speak about eradicating poverty, when we speak about a Drug-Free India and a Nasha Mukt Bharat, when we speak about a Viksit Bharat and an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the country will certainly achieve these goals too. 

We must witness these dreams becoming a reality before our own eyes. I have faith in the youth power of my country. I have faith in the people of our nation." 

"The country will certainly achieve these goals," he said.

PM Modi stated: 

"When we work for the nation, we also ensure peace and security in the country. 

Over the past 12 years, the country has not only won the battle against Naxalism and separatism but has also fought a major battle against poverty. 

Just before Diwali this year, a few days ago, the World Bank stated in its report that over the past 12 years, 50 crore people in India have come out of extreme poverty. 

"What could not be achieved through decades of slogans about eradicating poverty, the country has accomplished in just 12 years." 

"Imagine what a huge achievement this is. During Diwali, we make rangolis. We created a rangoli of welfare schemes that continued to empower the poor...".  

Modi also says, "Previous governments had also kept the hands of security personnel fighting on the ground tied. Naxalite attacks would take place, but security forces did not have the freedom to retaliate openly." 

"We gave the security forces the freedom to take all necessary decisions. We also worked to stop the support that certain people within the government and the system had extended to Left-Wing Extremism... We worked with sensitivity and broke the backbone of Maoist terrorism. 

"With a spirit of service, we transformed the lives of people in Naxal-affected areas. That is why even those who suffered due to Naxalism have stood firmly with the government and security forces. Many citizens who contributed significantly to winning this major battle are also present here today. I express my gratitude to all of them."  

Opposition party leaders and activists who oppose the BJP have had war of words with the BJP over the use of the term "dimagi Naxals", which PM Modi first used during his address at the Red Fort on Independence Day.

Union minister Jitendra Singh also has lately accused the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its key enablers of channelling illegal funds from foreign non-profits and hostile external networks to fuel unrest in India. 

Singh said the authorities have concrete evidence linking the outfit's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and its strategist, Ashutosh Ranka, to overseas financiers.

Stephen Miller’s appointment shows Donald Trump hasn’t learned his lesson on immigration :::: “Miller’s promotion guarantees an acceleration of mass deportations

It was never likely that Donald Trump – who rose to political prominence on the promise that he would expel immigrants en masse from the US – would dampen his agenda, even after voters rejected Republican candidates in the mid-term polls.

But the elevation of Stephen Miller – a zealous, anti-immigrant crusader who has been by Trump’s side since the president’s first term – is an ominous signal that the deportation machine that Trump has built up over the past two years will be driving ahead at full speed.  

Miller more than any single other person is responsible for unleashing a series of violent immigration raids across US cities this year and last, for sending hordes of masked agents in military gear through residential streets to round up undocumented immigrants. He has pushed the administration to all but shut down legal immigration as well. In his previous roles – as a deputy chief of staff and policy adviser – he has stuck close to Trump’s side and stoked the president’s most extreme instincts.

“The elevation of Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff signals a doubling down on the administration’s cruelest impulses,” said Faisal Al-Juburi, the co-chief executive of Raíces, a Texas-based humanitarian aid and immigration services non-profit. 

“Miller’s promotion guarantees an acceleration of mass deportations and of brute force unleashed within our neighborhoods.”  

Miller was a central figure in the first Trump administration's immigration policy, including the family separation policy and Executive Order 13769, which restricted travel from several Muslim-majority countries. As director of speechwriting, he supervised the writing of Trump's inaugural and State of the Union addresses. Miller is on the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of extremists.  

It was Miller who came up with the legal framework of using the Alien Enemies Act to cast Venezuelan immigrants – including asylum seekers – as foreign terrorists associated with the Tren de Aragua cartel, and using that reasoning to expel them to a Salvadorian megaprison and to strike small Venezuelan boats.

During the first Trump administration, it was Miller who devised the “Muslim ban” restricting travel from Muslim-majority countries. It was he who designed the now-notorious zero tolerance policy of the first Trump administration – which separated more than 5,600 children from their parents and caregivers at the US-Mexico border. More recently, he’s pushed the administration to accelerate the deportation of undocumented children.

Miller, 41, who is himself the descendant of Jewish immigrants to the US and grew up in liberal Santa Monica, California, came to reject his home town, viewing California as a failed state that had been perverted by mass immigration. 

Eventually, he came to see immigration as a leftwing plot to undermine his vision of a traditional United States.

ends 

10 years since Nov 8, 2016 -- 8 pm ____ A Review :::: "Demonetization was not to confiscate people's money"

Today is Diwali. If Nov 8th in 2016 - exactly 10 years back was also a Diwali night - the Demonetisation would not have come that day. Nevertheless, it would have come someday ... because the Govt of the day and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided about the same. 

One reason for the noteban has been stated in Bollywood film 'Dhurandhar-2'. Facts and Fiction often get overlapped. Let us not get into that.  Some facts are here with us. 

Data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) indicated that nearly 99% (about Rs 15.44 lakh crore) of the banned notes came back into the banking system.

The popular Sickular argument was that the confiscation of black money fell short of expectations. They need to be told and perhaps also retold that the objective of Demonetization was not to confiscate people's money.

In contrast, the demonetisation was to force anonymous cash into the formal banking channel.  

The Govt was eyeing two basic goals. 

Digitization and Choking Illegal cash flow 

The demonestisation move actually disrupted cash anonymity, curbed funding channels for anti-social and disruptive elements, and accelerated digital and cashless transactions across the economy. 

There was a finer aspect - which is ignored either deliberately or by design. The deposit of cash due to ban on higher value currency notes did not automatically make it legitimate or untaxed; the trail created allowed tax authorities to track and question large deposits.  

The demonetisation was a vital and watershed moment necessary for formalizing India's cash-dominant economy, combating black money, and driving digital transformation. 

While critics point to the immediate economic disruption and localized GDP deceleration during the cash transition, the government has maintained that the long-term systemic benefits outweighed the short-term friction.

There have been lot of misreporting as well. The government had to clarify that it had not commissioned any specific study to isolate its singular impact and that wider macroeconomic shifts were driven by broader sector transitions.

In January 2023, the Supreme Court delivered a 4-1 majority verdict upholding the legality of the demonetisation process.

The apex court also accepted that extensive six-month consultations had occurred between the Center and the RBI, thereby satisfying the legal tests of proportionality and reasonable nexus.  

In terms of debating we may say --- India’s demonetization experiment generated some important thinking about cash, data, corruption and the digital economy.

This is what is commonly said -- The "corrupt people" need places to park their ill-gotten gains, cash normally is not at the top of their list. 

** Only a tiny proportion of undeclared wealth is held in cash. 

In an analysis of income-tax probes, the highest level of illegal money detection in India was found to be in 2015–2016, and the cash component was only about 6%. 

The remaining was invested in business, stocks, real estate, jewelry, or “benami” assets, which are bought in someone else’s name.

It is also argued that 'people' found many ways to get their money back into banks, whether it was legitimate or not. Another argument was -- 

Public policy for rooting out corruption calls for a systemic approach, with carrots and sticks.

There is/was need to motivate cultural, institutional, and behavioral changes in the people in a longer term perspective.

 Silver bullets, such as drastic demonetization, don’t work.             

Let us move on ... an ill-informed criticism of the demonitisation has been that almost the entire cash money got deposited in the banks.  

Confiscation of currency - as stated above - was not an objective of demonitisation.  

"Getting it into the formal economy and making the holders pay tax was the broader objective." -- And this is what the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had stated in Parliament as well.

The system required to be shaken in order to make India move from cash to digital transactions.  

This had an impact on higher tax revenue and a higher tax base.            

Demonitisation and implementation of the GST curbed cash transactions in a big way.  

An increase in the digital transactions is visible.  This formalisation of the economy has led to the tax payer base increase from 6.4 million in the pre-GST regime to 12 million tax payers in the post-GST regime.  

The actual consumption of goods and services being recorded as a part of the tax net has now increased.  This has given a buoyancy to the indirect tax growth in the economy.  This has benefited both the Centre and the States.  Every State, post GST, is getting a mandatory 14% increase in the taxation each year.  

The fact that assessees have to now declare their business turnover not only impacts the indirect tax calculations, but also ensures that income tax arising out of them is disclosed in the tax assessments.  

In 2014-15, the indirect tax to GDP ratio was 4.4%.  Post-GST it has climbed up by at least 1 percentage point to 5.4%.

Despite an annual income tax relief of Rs. 97,000 Crore given to the smaller tax payers and a Rs. 80,000 Crore relief given to the GST assesses, tax collections have gone up.  

Rates of taxes, both direct and indirect have been reduced, but tax collections have gone up.  The tax base has been expanded.  GST rates on 334 commodities in 2017-18 which were paying an effective 31% tax pre-GST have witnessed a tax reduction.

 

Of course, the Govt used the 'resources' for better infrastructure creation, social sector and rural Bharat.

It was under Modi, many new milestones were achieved.

How else could anyone visualise villages being connected by Road, electricity in every home.

There was 92 coverage for rural sanitation by 2018.

There was a successful Awas Yojana, a cooking gas connection in  estimated 8-10 crore poor homes.  

By 2017, 10 crore families are covered under Ayushman Bharat and Rs. 1,62,000 crore was spent on subsidised food.

There was 50% increase in MSP for farmers and a successful Crop Insurance Scheme.  The Seventh Pay Commission was implemented and the OROP was finally implemented.

ends 

"There was a time when construction of Ram Mandir was considered impossible. Yet, Advani ji's resolve remained unshakable" ::::: BJP pays tribute to veteran party leader

BJP national President Nitin Nabin performed havan on Sunday, Nov 8, at the party's central office in New Delhi to mark the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of veteran BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister, L K Advani. 

On the occasion of 100th birth anniversary celebrations of former Deputy PM, Bharat Ratna L K Advani, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said: 

"At times, I would even argue with him, asking, 'Why are you working so hard for the Ram Mandir? Why are you putting yourself through so much hardship and physical strain?' 

There was a time when the construction of Ram Mandir in India was considered impossible. Yet, his resolve remained unshakable." 

"Take Article 370, for instance—no one here ever imagined that it would be abrogated, and that the entire nation would come under one law, one flag, and one constitution. 

"It was the firm resolve of our senior leaders—a vision they pursued with absolute dedication. What we see today—the transformation of our nation—is the fulfillment of the promises made by leaders like L K Advani, who remained committed to these ideals throughout their lives...".  

Goyal also said: "He has been both an inspiration and a guiding light; he held deep affection for every single party worker. 

We take immense pride in the way he nurtured and advanced the party—from the days of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh to its evolution into the world’s largest political party today... His life, defined by simplicity and humility, will forever remain a source of inspiration for us all. 

Inspired by the dedication of grassroots-level workers, the party, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continues to forge ahead in the service of the nation...".   

BJP national president Nitin Nabin said: 

"A person who endured the agony of Partition, yet remained steadfast in his resolve, even going on to champion the idea of 'Nation First'—and who demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing the country—such a person remains an inspiration to us all to this day. 

"I also wish to express my gratitude for the leadership he provided, from the era of the Jan Sangh, which he once headed, through to the founding of the BJP. When the BJP first emerged with only two MPs, many believed it had little future. 

"Following the phase of the Janata Party, the establishment of the BJP and its initial victory in just two seats, in that atmosphere of despair, it was the resolve of the revered Atal ji and the revered Advani ji to seek a future for the BJP and to bring a ray of hope to the party. 

It was the determination of these two individuals that has enabled the Bharatiya Janata Party to expand to the extent it has today."  

 

Union Commerce Minister Goyal also said: "In every role he held—whether in the opposition or in government—be it as Minister of Information and Broadcasting in 1977, as Deputy Prime Minister, or as Home Minister—his conduct and the way he treated party workers set an exemplary standard. 

"This, in itself, is a source of strength for our party; it serves as an inspiration and a profound lesson for us all... We pray to the Almighty for his long life and good health and hope that he continues to inspire and guide us...".  

Ayodhya, UP: 

At a meeting with saints at Karsewakpuram during the Deepotsav celebrations at Ayodhya, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: 

"...The true joy of festivals lies in our ability to share our happiness with the marginalised, the downtrodden, and the poor. 

Everyone I met was filled with profound emotion; their faces beamed with radiance. People spoke of how Ayodhya has been granted a new identity—an identity that could have been established as early as 1947, or at the time the Constitution was adopted, or even following the first general election... 

"Even when obstacles were placed in our path, when the very mention of Shri Ram was prohibited, and when devotees of Ram were met with gunfire and lathi charges, our resolve never wavered. We stood firm, declaring: 'Ram Lalla, we shall come, and we shall build the temple right there...'". 

ends 

Quotes and Anecdotes of L K Advani's life and political career :::: 'Loh Purush' who crumbled owing to luck and "Jinnah is Secular" harakiri ::::: -- "Is the BJP now going the Congress way? Advani's reply in 1995 was : "This question is in itself a condemnation of the Congress"

What has been particularly remarkable about L K Advani has been his "transparency" in public life, values and honesty of purpose. He had the image of a tough man, a hard taskmaster - Loh Purush - in a conventional sense; but in a traditional sense his approach to men, matters and issues was Flexibility. 

He built up BJP ... to a large extent single handedly; but friend and colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee always overshadowed him. 

From Pramod Mahajan to Sushma Swaraj to Narendra Modi - all came up the ladder with his blessings and his guidance.

Here are a few anecdotes and quotes of the illustrious leader: 

"Just as struggle against emergency opened my eyes to the Indian people's unflinching faith in democracy; the Ayodhya movement opened my eyes to the deep-rooted influence of religion in the lives of all castes and sects across the country". -- L K Advani is his book 'My Country, My Life'.  

***

"I found meaning when I started attending Sunday discourses on the Gita in Karachi. I found meaning when I left home  and family to work as a Pracharak of the RSS, first in Karachi and later, after being uprooted by Partition, in Rajasthan".  

"I first met Benazir (Bhutto) in May 1990 when she had come to Delhi for Rajiv Gandhi's funeral. He very first sentence to me was - "Advan sahab, tawhansaan to Sindhiya mein gaalhayoon na (Mr Advani, should we not speak in Sindhi." 

Modi’s Congress Mukt Bharat is originally a ‘L K Advani vision’

In a Facebook posting after my meeting with L K Advani on December 16, 2014; I had posed a simple question whether the not so often said maxim, “the Success is the ultimate failure” would really apply to the BJP patriarch.   

Advani would always be remembered for bringing about major transitions. 

In my book, ‘Ayodhya: Battle for Peace’ published 2011, I had a chapter ‘L K Advani: Politics of Rath Yatra’ dedicated to him. 

“It goes without saying that Ayodhya movement and L K Advani’s name would go synonymous with each other”. And in a way Advani, not the usual run-of-the-mill politician, had found his “political roots in Ayodhya’s Ram”. Well, that was 1990…but 23 years later by 2013 the story had changed. It turned more a melancholy.

As I was talking to him on quite a few issues which Advaniji did not want to be quoted, unknowingly I was getting lost into a thought on Guru Dutt’s life and films, especially the path-breaking ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’. In that film, life offers the protagonist nothing but failure and humiliation.

 Similarly in another Guru Dutt film, Pyasa, the hero is let down by the people who are closest to him.

Unfortunately, Advaniji has experienced the same when Man (Narendra Modi) virtually created and protected by him (post Godhra assault) has by 2013 “overshadowed” Advani in mass popularity.

Dec 16, 2014 -- Blogger and Advani in his Parliament office 

In 1995, Advani was asked by 'India Today'; 

--  "Is the BJP now going the Congress way?

His reply was :

"This question is in itself a condemnation of the Congress. 

That the Congress is decadent, that the Congress is degenerate, a party without values. And the question is an expression of concern by our well-wishers, that even a trait of that degeneration should be present in a party of which they have high hopes."

Another question -- But what about your adversaries?

He again responded:

They may be putting this question with a bit of a chuckle. A friend told me the other day that the prime minister ( P V Narasimha Rao) was asked about the Gujarat BJP on TV (about dissidence); and my friend told me, for the first time he saw the prime minister laugh.  

But on the 7th (when the crisis led by Shankersinh Vaghela was temporarily over) there was again gloom in the Congress party.

Benazir Bhutto and Advani 

On Narendra Modi; -- Advani had written : "Modi's chief ministership 2002-07 in Gujarat ... not a single incident of terrorism and not a single hour of curfew imposed anywhere in the state. .... But what has given me special satisfaction is that Modi has brought down political and bureaucratic corruption in a way that even his critics have applauded".  

****

Respected Advani, as I know him has been a film buff himself. During his days as Home Minister, I had traveled with him to Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. In the freewheeling interaction, he used to share about his liking for films. 

Thus on December 16 afternoon (2014), as Advaniji came out of Lok Sabha and walked towards his room in Parliament House (old building) ..…far off secluded from political chamchas that often kept gheraoed him even till 2012…..one song that came haunting in my mind was 

: waqt ne kiya, kya haseen sitam (rendered much deeper meaning than its words by the powerful voice of Geeta Dutt).

Guru Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool: Conflict of Man and Success

But as we look back and about what we interacted; there’s not really much to share as many things were said in confidence. 

In journalism, we call it “off-the-record”. 

Of course, a simple breaking news he shared with me was when he said, “I will revive my blogs soon”. Then of course, he spoke a bit on the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha, a panel he was heading as the chairman. 

I had thought of an interview, that was flatly declined, but politely.

ends 

Advani turns 100 ::: Modi pens article for his Guru !! "Advani Ji nurtured generations of karyakartas and gave the Party a clear foundation committed to Nation First"

"Today, 8th November, is a landmark day. Respected L.K. Advani Ji enters his hundredth year. On this special occasion, my greetings to him.

I’ve written an article in which I’ve highlighted his everlasting contribution to India," tweeted PM Narendra Modi. 

"I have recalled his journey, be it experiencing the horrors of Partition and rebuilding life from scratch, strengthening the Jana Sangh and building the BJP, standing up for democracy during the Emergency, leading the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra or serving the nation in government," says Namo - illustrious Advani's most successful political disciple.  

Bharat Ratna LK Advani Ji at 100!   

- Narendra Modi 

-- Shri Lal Krishna Advani Ji enters the hundredth year of his life today, November 8. This year, his birthday fittingly coincides with Diwali, a festival associated with Prabhu Shri Ram and the Diya at a time when we are marking 75 years since the inception of the Jana Sangh, 125th Jayanti of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and recently celebrated a hundred years of the RSS.  

There are very few people whose lives have touched so many different chapters of modern India. Advani Ji was born on November 8, 1927, on Dev Deepawali. As a youngster in 1947, he experienced the pain of leaving behind his familiar world in Sindh. He rebuilt his life from scratch without bitterness. 

This trait of being able to build from scratch, against all odds, has stayed with him throughout. It was seen while he was strengthening the Jana Sangh and later building the BJP.

His tenures as BJP President saw the Congress falling sharply from 400 to below 200 in 1989 and the BJP becoming the single largest party for the first time in 1996. 

Advani Ji nurtured generations of karyakartas and gave the Party a clear foundation rooted in the principle of Nation First.  

Two qualities always set Advani Ji apart as a leader. First, his ideological clarity and intellectual sharpness. This was reflected in his speeches and writings. The Jana Sangh and BJP resolutions he authored remain worth reading even today, while his interviews were consistently incisive and precise. 

Second, the manner in which he exposed the pseudo-secularism propounded by a large section of the Indian polity for many years.  

Advani Ji took up every responsibility with immense diligence. As an RSS Pracharak, Advani Ji first worked in different parts of Rajasthan. From there, he went to the national capital, where he started working closely with Atal Ji. History shows that it is rare for two towering political leaders to work together for several decades, cooperating with each other without becoming competitors. Advani Ji and Atal Ji set a remarkable example. 

Together, they changed the course of Indian politics.

The Delhi that Advani Ji came to was coming to terms with the horrors of Partition. He immersed himself in making the Jana Sangh stronger. In 1967, Advani Ji became the Chairman of the Delhi Metropolitan Council, where he worked alongside the late Vijay Kumar Malhotra Ji (who became Chief Executive Councillor).  

In 1970, Advani Ji’s Parliamentary innings began. His interventions have won appreciation across the political spectrum. He made a mark as an MP and later, as Leader of Opposition in both houses and from the treasury benches too. Despite parliamentary commitments, he frequently travelled across India meeting people.

I vividly recall the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. It was decided that Advani Ji would contest the Lok Sabha elections from two seats, one of which was Gandhinagar. He had an old link with Gujarat. His father had settled in Kutch after Partition. 

Advani Ji had also served as a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat. So, it was a homecoming of sorts.

Being involved in the BJP organisation, I had the honour of helping prepare his papers and assisting him throughout the campaign. The people of Gandhinagar sent him to Parliament time and again. As a voter of Gandhinagar, I also had the honour of voting for Advani Ji on numerous occasions. The care and attention he devoted to his constituency is something to learn from.

The Emergency was a watershed moment in Advani Ji’s life. He was at the forefront of saving democracy and protecting the Constitution. His experiences found their way into his book, ‘A Prisoner's Scrap-Book.’ One part of that book, titled ‘A Tale of Two Emergencies’, beautifully explained the striking similarities between the events in India starting June 1975 and those in Nazi Germany in 1933.

Advani Ji was a fiery Opposition leader but an equally excellent administrator. When the Janata Government came to office in 1977, Advani Ji became Minister for Information and Broadcasting. It is widely accepted that his work in this department was extremely impactful.

As Deputy Prime Minister and one of India’s longest-serving Home Ministers, he was instrumental in strengthening India’s security apparatus. His work in improving the lives of our security forces is remembered with great fondness. His unequivocal stand against terrorism ensured India got a tough anti-terror law.

Of course, an iconic moment in Advani Ji’s life was the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra. It changed the course of Indian society for the better. I consider it a privilege that I got the opportunity to be involved in this Yatra from the ideation stage to execution. Being present at Somnath when the Yatra began was particularly special. 

 

A Yatra can be very demanding, requiring long hours, constant travel, physical endurance and an ability to remain focused despite fatigue. Advani Ji embodied this endurance.   

I also have memories of the saddening moments of Advani Ji’s arrest in Bihar. Then, in Gujarat, the BJP withdrew support from the Chimanbhai Patel Government. With this, a simple message was given, that when it comes to our ideology and the Ram Temple, there will never be any compromise. 

Many of our senior leaders and Karyakartas took an oath that, come what may, a Ram Temple will be built. And, years later, with the blessings of the people of India, a grand Mandir for Prabhu Shri Ram became a reality in Ayodhya.

There is so much more of Advani Ji that is outstanding. His simplicity, for example. After the Navnirman Movement, Advani Ji had come to Junagadh and stayed for a month as an ordinary Karyakarta, preparing the Party for the Assembly elections in which Congress was rejected. 

He has always shown what probity in public life is about.  

He is a voracious reader. Those who have spent time with him know how carefully he goes through newspapers. He is a big fan of cinema and theatre, and has been an enthusiastic film critic. His sense of history and the need to preserve it is visible in his book, ‘My Country, My Life.’

Advani Ji always remained in touch with Sindhi culture. Another effort he undertook was the popularisation of Sindhu Darshan Puja near Leh. I myself had been to one Puja with Advani Ji and George Fernandes Ji.

Any account of Advani Ji’s remarkable journey would be incomplete without mentioning Kamla Advani Ji. She was a constant source of strength and support throughout his public life.

Growing up in Karachi, Advani Ji could hardly have imagined the path his life would take. 

In an expression of gratitude, the people of India conferred upon him the Bharat Ratna in 2024. As Advani Ji enters the hundredth year of his life, I pray that he will be blessed with good health and that he continues to inspire us all as he has always done.

ends 

L K Advani enters 100th year on Nov 8th, Sunday :::: BJP to hold special hawan for good health .... Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP president Nitin Nabin to address

Born in Karachi, LK Advani moved to India during Partition in 1947. 

He became a central figure in the BJP’s growth and served three terms as its president.

His Rath Yatra changed the politics of India. 
Post inauguration of Ram temple in Ayodhya, L K Advani was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in March 2024. 

President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at his residence in the presence of PM Narendra Modi. 

He served as Union home minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and as deputy prime minister from 2002 to 2004.  

The BJP will celebrate veteran leader and former deputy prime minister L K Advani’s 99th birthday at its national headquarters on Sunday, with a 'hawan' and prayers for his long life and good health.

BJP president Nitin Nabin and Union Commerce minister Piyush Goyal will address the gathering in the presence of Advani’s daughter, Pratibha Advani.