Pettish quibbling over exalted honour for LK

Is India really a developed country? Well, it may be in terms of growth in GDP and it may also be heading towards becoming $3 trillion or $5 trillion economy, but when it comes to the performance of political parties, we are still in Stone Age. It may sound harsh but that is the reality.

Modi-led NDA government announced Bharat Ratna for the nonagenarian leader L K Advani. It is something one should appreciate because this government has given Bharat Ratna to a person during his lifetime. The opposition Congress welcomed it but said it was late in the day. Well, Advani has been inactive in politics for about a decade but he was a fiery, intelligent and well- known leader and a political force prior to that. Why did not the Congress government think of conferring such an award on him?

How many of the Congress leaders know how serious he was in his responsibilities as a Parliamentarian. They need to take quick glance into the records of Parliament. He was mot regular to attend Parliament. His records show his attendance used to be above 90% and he was the leader who used to sit in the House till was adjourned unlike the present leaders.

Advani was fiery, but never used foul language. He was a very effective parliamentarian who never went into the well of the house and never threw paper balls at the Speaker. He was one leader who used to speak, based on facts and figures, and was equally eloquent in English and Hindi. His leadership was demonstrated by the party’s ascent from winning two seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections to 86 seats. He never used foul language never said the new government would fall in three months as we hear the BRS leaders in Telangana commenting even before the new government has completed 100 days.

In 2009 when Congress party came to power and the 15th Lok Sabha met, Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. Advani as the Leader of Opposition said, “I wish to assure the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House that my party and the NDA will extend full and constructive support to the government whenever we find that you are protecting the interests of the nation and advancing the interests of the people by adhering to Good Governance, Development and Security. But when we find that you are doing otherwise, we shall certainly oppose the government both inside Parliament and outside. Let the government do its duty. And we shall do our duty … Let us begin a new chapter in government-opposition relations in the 15th Lok Sabha.” This was one of his dignified ways of presenting himself on the floor of the house.

In December 2016, Advani sitting in his front row seat in the Lok Sabha could not hide his distress when he saw continuous disruption of Parliament. When the House was adjourned, the 89-year-old Advani remained seated and asked the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh to speak to the opposition members so that the house can run smoothly. Remembering the former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, he said, “If Vajpayee had been in Parliament today, he would have been very sad. Disruptions are so disappointing that I wonder if I should resign from the Lok Sabha.”

Advani is one of those great parliamentarians who were respected by all irrespective of party affiliations. But unfortunately, the Congress party feels conferring Bharat Ratna on him is a political stunt. The grand old party should learn to be more matured and dignified in its behavior and utterances.