PM Modi greets LK Advani on 96th birthday: ‘Beacon of integrity, dedication’
Union home minister Amit Shah also wished Lal Krishna Advani and said he is an eternal source of inspiration for all BJP workers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended birthday greetings to Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Lal Krishna Advani, describing the former deputy prime minister as a “beacon of integrity and dedication”.
"Birthday greetings to LK Advani Ji. He is a beacon of integrity and dedication who has made monumental contributions that have strengthened our nation. His visionary leadership has furthered national progress and unity," Modi wrote on X.
"I wish him good health and a long life. His efforts towards nation-building continue to inspire 140 crore Indians," Modi added.
Union home minister Amit Shah also wished the 96-year-old leader and said that he is an eternal source of inspiration for all BJP workers.
"Happy birthday to respected Lal Krishna Advani ji. Advani ji, with his tireless hard work and organizational skills, worked to nourish the party and build workers. Advani ji's incomparable contribution from the inception of the BJP to coming to power is an eternal source of inspiration for every worker. I pray to God for his long life and good health," Shah wrote.
Born in 1927 in Karachi, Advani was the minister of home affairs in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government between 1998 and 2004. Advani also served as the deputy prime minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 2002 to 2004. He is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the BJP.
Advani began his political career as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In 2015, Advani was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour.
Advani's celebration of India's independence from the British in 1947 was sadly short-lived as he became one of the millions to be torn from his homeland amid the terror and bloodshed of the tragedy of India's partition.
Through the latter half of the 1980s and the 1990s, Advani focused on the task of building the BJP into a national political force. The results of his efforts were underscored by the 1989 general election. The party bounced back from its 1984 tally of two to achieve an impressive 86 seats.
The BJP's position moved up to 121 seats in 1992 and 161 in 1996; making the 1996 elections a watershed in Indian democracy. For the first time since Independence, the Congress was dethroned from its preeminent position, and the BJP became the single largest party in the Lok Sabha.
