LK Advani' Emergency Bell

Mr Lal Krishan Advani the founding member of Bhartiya Janta Party, and leading light of the Indian right-wing said in a recent interview, quote, “Today, I do not say that the political leadership is not mature. But, kamiyon ke karan, vishwas nahin hota. I don’t have the confidence that it (emergency) cannot happen again” 

Advani ji, now a member of the “margadarshak mandal” of the BJP, relevance questioned, is THE architect of BJP’s relevance in Indian Politics, thru Rath Yatra, lead by him in 90, which charged up the polito-religious atmosphere to such a high pitch that the Babri Masjid, the Structure, was demolished, in Dec 1992. 

This defining event lead to the retaliation across the country from Muslims leaving thousands dead, properties destroyed, nay many ordinary lives destroyed.  In my view it cost LKA his shot at PM.

And on deeper reflection, Mr Advani ended up praising Mr Mohamed Ali Jinnah, a very smart sharp lawyer whose insistence on creating Pakistan resulted in loss of million lives; again countless lives destroyed. That further lightened his claim to the PM’s gaddi.

And his readings of the mood of his own party and the country lead to him sulking for months, sitting out the meetings of BJP in 2013.

Let us assume that socio-political insights put out in the public domain by this octogenarian political sage do come to pass, for once. It majorly concerns the ‘pundits” and politicians: they may have to constrain their pens and tongues, and suffer reduced incomes.    

The people in the social strata below the intelligentsia and political elite sense that economic wellbeing of the common people is finally moving centre stage.

People sense that the civil liberties that are purportedly endangered by the current dispensation are worthless to them till they achieve a modicum of economic and financial security.

Enforced discipline of an ‘emergency” increases the chances of quicker economic growth, a’la, “trains ran on time”