The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised Bharatiya Janata Party founder and veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani’s blog where LK Advani wrote, “Nation First, Party Next, Self Last”.
This is the first comment LK Advani made after the BJP fielded party president Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, a Lok Sabha seat represented by Advani for six terms. Reports earlier surfaced that he was disappointed after not being given ticket to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on twitter, “Advani Ji perfectly sums up the true essence of BJP, most notably the guiding mantra of ‘Nation First, Party Next, Self Last’. Proud to be a BJP karyakarta (BJP worker) and proud that great leaders like LK Advani ji have strengthened it.”
The blog is addressed to BJP workers and is written two days ahead of the party’s foundation day, which is the 6th of April.
LK Advani said, “We have never regarded those who disagree with us politically as ‘anti-national’. This is an important occasion for all of us in the BJP to look back, look ahead and look within.”
These comments indirectly are thrown against Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah, who have branded people questioning the government anti-national. More so after the Pulwama terror attacks, and Balakot airstrikes. Mr. Advani made clear that the essence of Indian democracy is respect for diversity and freedom of expression.
“It is my sincere desire that all of us should collectively strive to strengthen the democratic edifice of India. True, elections are a festival of democracy. But they are also an occasion for honest introspection by all the stakeholders in Indian democracy – political parties, mass media, authorities conducting the election process and, above all, the electorate,” he added.