Leader of Opposition

L K AdvaniChildhood , Education & the Man

Shri. L.K. Advani was born on November 08, 1929 in Karachi (now Pakistan). His earlier schooling was at St.Patrick's in Karachi. He later on graduated in Law from Bombay University. Though not a practicing lawyer, he argued on behalf of his party in 1974 before the Supreme Court in the Presidential reference whether election to the post of President could be held when the Gujarat Assembly was dissolved. Known for his sophistication and culture, Advaniji is given to a modest life style. Recently when an interviewer asked what is his most precious possession, Shri. Advani replied, " My collection of books."

RSS & Jana Sangh

At the time of partition of India into Pakistan and India in 1947, Shri Advani was the RSS organiser in Karachi City. After partition, for several years Shri. Advani organised RSS work in Rajasthan. When Dr. Mukherji founded Jana Sangh in 1951, Shri. Advani became its Rajasthan State Secretary and continued there till 1957 before he moved to Delhi to become the Delhi Jana Sangh Secretary and during this period he was also the Secretary to the Jana Sangh Parliamentary Group.

In Parliament & Information Minister

From 1970 to 1989 he was a Member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1989 and again in 1991 he was elected to Lok Sabha. In 1991, he was also appointed the Leader of Opposition. He was elected President of Jana Sangh in 1973 and continued until 1977, before he was appointed Information & Broacasting Minister in the Janata government. During his tenure he freed the media from legislative and executive shackles, institutionalized reforms and inbuilt safeguards to guard freedom. He abolished Press Censorship and repealed anti-press legislation.

Bharatiya Janata Party

The BJP was launched in 1980 and for the next six years he held the post of General Secretary. In 1986, he became the All India President, which post he held until January 1991. Shri. Advani's influence on recent Indian politics has been phenomenal. When the country was pulled apart by the forces of divisionism and casteism, his was the voice of national conscience. Shri Advani emphasized the cultural unity of the country by highlighting Shri Rama as a symbol of cultural renaissance and as a national symbol.

The Press on Shri. Advani

Shri. Swapan Dasgupta of Times of India commented "Not only did Advani release a flood of sublimated nationalist energy,..........it is the BJP that is putting itself forward as the natural inheritor of the stability platform." The Telegraph writes " His clarity of vision, precise statements and astute sense of timing played a major role in the BJP's success." India Today notes, ".....he is so un-confused that the clarity of his thought and its translation into action have served to un-confuse the BJP and propelled it into a dimension that has run traditional secularists and patriots like the old line socialists, congress Fabians and communists running back to defensive positions."