New Delhi: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani was on Thursday made to bow out of the electoral contest by the BJP as it fielded party president Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, the seat that the 91-year-old party stalwart has won six times.
But Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari says Advani’s name being dropped from the list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls should not be seen as the wrapping up of his decades-old association with the saffron party.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Gadkari said, “Advani ji has been an inspiration to all of us. He was with us in the past and he will be with us in the future. It is a natural course. Changes come with age. I think the party president has taken the decision after discussing it with LK Advani."
Advani had first contested from Gandhinagar in 1991 on the suggestion of Narendra Modi after he had completed his nationwide Rath Yatra in favour of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Modi had even accompanied Advani when he filed his nomination papers.
To political pundits, the decision of not fielding him has sent two clear signals – one that as Advani himself did not declare his retirement from electoral politics, he has been made to retire, and two, the party by replacing him with Shah has appointed his political heir.
Asked if Advani was given an option or if he himself decided not to contest, Gadkari said, “I have no knowledge about this but I believe party president must have talked to him."
“I believe that he was with us and he will be with us. He is our inspiration. He established our party and we all respect him," he added.
Reacting to the BJP dropping Advani from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, the Congress on Thursday said PM Modi does not respect elders in his party. "First, Advani ji was forcibly sent to the 'marg Darshak Mandal'. Now even his Lok Sabha seat has been taken away from him. When Modi ji does not respect elders, how will he respect the faith of the public?" Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
Accusing the Congress of creating confusion over the issue, Gadkari said, “What is the relation between BJP's issues and the Congress party? Is Congress giving tickets to all of its elder members? Creating such confusions among the people is their habit, they should first look into their own party. They should resolve their issues first. Who will get ticket from our party is the decision of the party president and the parliamentary board."
Former Uttarakhand chief minister BC Khanduri, 84, was another senior leader to be dropped from his Lok Sabha seat by the BJP, suggesting that the party may have decided to ease out several of its old guards from electoral politics by introducing an age bar of 75 years.
Asked if there the party is indeed planning to introduce a cap of 75 years, Gadkari said, “This is a discussion done within the party and I don’t feel right discussing this with the media."
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