Advani has differences, plans to leave BJP to form new party

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani: Two important figures of Indian politics

New DelhiThe pair of prominent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani has been considered unbreakable in Indian politics for years, But there was a time when Vajpayee seriously considered forming a new political party, Senior journalist Neerja Chaudhary shared this information during a lecture organized at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library on Wednesday, The lecture was organized on the eve of the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with the theme “Life and Contribution of Atal Bihari Vajpayee”,

1984 Lok Sabha elections and Vajpayee’s crisis

According to Neerja Chaudhary, BJP had got only two seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections and during this, Vajpayee had lost the election from Gwalior. At the same time, Advani was rising rapidly in the party, due to which Vajpayee was feeling disappointed. For some time he thought of separating from the BJP and forming a new party, but this idea did not last long and ultimately he decided to remain with the BJP.

Pokhran-2 and Advani’s pain

In her lecture, Neerja Chaudhary also highlighted an important incident related to the Pokhran-2 nuclear test in 1998, which highlighted the tension between the two leaders. Vajpayee shared information about the test with his principal secretary and the army chiefs, but Advani was not included in the decision. He said that other cabinet members were also informed about the test only two days in advance, and that too without specifying the date.

Chaudhary recalled that when she went to meet Advani on May 11, 1998, he was sitting alone with tears in his eyes. He was sad that despite years of friendship and old commitment to the party, he was not taken into confidence.

Vajpayee’s influence in the 1990s

Neerja Chaudhary also told that in the 1990s, the image of Atal Bihari Vajpayee became universal, making him influential in Indian politics. He had good relations with all the parties. Vajpayee and former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao also had a close relationship, which was a result of both of them being Brahmins or their old acquaintanceship when they were Foreign Ministers in 1977.