L K Advani tallest BJP leader says Shiv Sena
Mumbai, Mar 24: The Shiv Sena said L K Advani would remain the "tallest leader" of the BJP irrespective of his poll presence, two days after the party nominated its chief Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, a seat represented by the BJP patriarch.
In an editorial in the party mouthpiece "Saamana", the Sena said Shah contesting in place of Advani is politically translated as the 'Bhishmacharya' of Indian politics being "forced" to retire.
Advani replaced deliberately, Amit Shah no match for him: Shatrughan Sinha
"Lal Krishna Advani is known as the 'Bhishmacharya' of Indian politics, but his name does not feature in the list of BJP's candidates for Lok Sabha polls, which is not surprising," the edit said.
The
Sena
said
the
development
underlined
that
the
BJP's
Advani
era
has
come
to
an
end.
"Advani
has
been
elected
from
Gujarat's
Gandhinagar
constituency
six
times.
Now,
Amit
Shah
will
be
contesting
from
that
seat.
This
simply
means
Advani
has
been
forced
to
retire,"
the
editorial
said.
Marking
a
generational
shift
in
the
BJP,
the
party
recently
announced
candidature
of
Shah,
who
will
be
contesting
his
debut
parliamentary
election,
from
Gandhinagar.
Advani,
91,
had
served
as
Union
home
minister
and
deputy
prime
minister.
He
won
the
Gandhinagar
seat
six
times.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to massive victory in 2014 and Shah was made the party president, Advani was made a member of Margdarshak Mandal (group of mentors).
The Sena said, "Advani was one of the founding members of the BJP, who along with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee steered the rath of the party ahead.
"But today, Modi and Shah have taken the place of them (Vajpayee and Advani). An environment has already been created in the party to ensure that seniors do not get any responsibility this time," it stated.
The Sena further said Advani has played a "long innings" in politics and would remain the "tallest leader" of the BJP.
The
Sena
is
contesting
the
next
month's
Lok
Sabha
elections
in
alliance
with
the
BJP.
The
Sena
said
it
didn't
believe
that
a
leader
retains
his
top
position
only
if
he
continues
to
be
in
active
politics.
Shiv Sena terms Advani as BJP's 'tallest leader', says 'forced to retire'
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also attacked the Congress which has said the Gandhinagar seat has been snatched from Advani.
"The party (Congress) should not talk about insult to elders. The then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who had steered the Congress governments in difficult times, was insulted by the party even after his death," it said.
The Sena also referred to the 2013 incident when Rahul Gandhi tore an ordinance (on protecting convicted lawmakers) in the presence of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh.
"What happened with Sitaram Kesari (former Congress president who was succeeded by Sonia Gandhi)?....Therefore it does not suit the Congress to talk about respecting elders," the Sena said.
Praising Advani, the Sena said he was responsible for expanding the BJP's footprint across the country.
"Every shining sun has to set. The BJP could reach the top because of Advani's 'Rath yatra' in Ayodhya in 1990s. The BJP is reaping (dividends) because of Advani's toil," the Sena said.