Date:26/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/26/stories/2007122659641200.htm

National

Advani: it’s a birthday gift for Vajpayee

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L. K. Advani on Tuesday said the party’s victory in the Gujarat elections was the biggest gift to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 84th birthday.

Speaking at a function organised here to mark Mr. Vajpayee’s birthday, Mr. Advani said the victory would also prove to be a turning point in Indian politics.

Wishing Mr. Vajpayee – who was not able to attend the function due to ill-health — a long life and sound health, the former Deputy Prime Minister recounted a few anecdotes from his 50-year-long association with the octogenarian leader.

The senior BJP leader said the fact that the three political colleagues (Mr. Vajpayee, former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Mr. Advani) worked together for 50 years and one of them went on to become the Prime Minister, the other Vice-President and the third Deputy Prime Minister spoke of the traditions of cooperation that runs deep within the party.

“Our association goes back even prior to the first general elections in independent India,” said Mr. Advani. He added that Mr. Vajpayee’s guidance was invaluable for the party as he was among the very few politicians in independent India and, in fact, the world, who were acceptable to everybody.

BJP president Rajnath Singh said if there was one leader after Mahatma Gandhi who has been able to earn the respect and devotion of the Indian masses, it was Mr. Vajpayee.

Mr. Shekhawat said he was fond of Mr. Vajpayee’s poems and used to keep one of them — “Kaurav Kaun, Pandav Kaun” — on his table when he was the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and also when he was the Vice-President.