Mr Advani: What is it?

Advani: Jinnah is secular

Hindus wanted a united India. They voted against Partition but Partition did happen. They wanted to retain Kashmir, the land of Maharishi Kashyap and the seat of Sharda Vidya, but two-thirds of Kashmir was snatched from them and from what remained, Hindus were driven out, thus dispossessing them of their home and hearth in a truncated, Independent India.

They had three great deities -- or rather three dreams -- in the words of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia -- Ram, Krishna and Shiva. All the three holy places associated with them, had mosques built over them by the invaders.

After Independence, the Hindus naturally wanted to have their places of worship returned to them as a goodwill gesture by Muslims who otherwise got India partitioned.

But not only were they snubbed and humiliated for such a demand, even the greatest of their leaders in politics declared the day of a first Hindu resistance and effort to possess what historically belonged to them, as the saddest day of his life.

The Partition of the motherland and the resultant mayhem was not his saddest day but the day of repossessing a place of great significance to the Hindus became the 'most unfortunate' day for the man whom the world considered a Hindu nationalist leader.

It is obvious that any leader who is visiting the mausoleum of the father of the nation of a hostile host country should be nice and say decent words in his memory. Jinnah could have been justifiably appreciated without getting into these controversies.

In comparison, one must salute the contemporary Pakistani leadership for their single-minded missionary zeal to improve relations with India without compromising on their issues. President Pervez Musharraf visited Rajghat, but didn't say anything about Gandhi's secularism or his struggle to "HELP" newly born Pakistan despite facing disapproval from both his deputies Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel.

They remain committed to the theory of an Islamic Pakistan as envisioned by Jinnah, the qaid-e-azam, to make Kashmir a core issues between the two nations, to get the Hurriyat leaders without a passport or visa to Pakistan and declare it an evidence of India's recognition of Kashmir as a disputed territory. They are never -- even in a light 'mood' -- apologetic or sad about Kargil.

Their firebrand leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman visited India and met RSS leaders, but never spoke a single word in praise of the RSS or its founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. He didn't find it necessary to say so for the sake of friendship. He was careful not to express regret on the demolition of hundreds of Hindu temples in Pakistan in the wake of the December 6 demolition of the Babri Masjid and even earlier.

He said all good things, expressed decent gestures, evoked friendly amiable body language -- a smiling and affectionate face -- but not an inch was given on the core issues. The Pakistanis are never apologetic about having a two-tier constitutional arrangement for Hindus and other non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan which makes them virtually second class citizens.

It is not necessary to covert to win friendship. Stand up firmly and uncompromisingly on your issues and yet strive for friendship. That alone lasts. The 'converted' can only have pity and a 'protectionist' smile, but not a friendly relationship based on parity. That is the policy which makes Pakistanis a solid block and successful on Kashmir.

Advani, they say that once you reach 40, your brain turns a dog. It seems your brain is turning into 2 dogs while you reach 80. What happenned to you? You have spoiled all the good work that you did in the past 60 years of public life. Ultimately all that people will remember is your appeasement to Pakistan. If you had really felt what you belived was right and true, you wouldn't have spoken in such a haste. Your speach was unprecedented and unnecessary. What else is it other than appeasement? Was it so much necessary that you had to call him secular to wash away your so called involvement in qaid-e-azam's assasination attempt?

Like Musharraf, you must have met the Pakistani sessionist leaders from Balochistan, Sindhis and NWFP who have a warmth and tremendous goodwill for India. Instead you met only those whom the pak Govt wanted you to meet. As an Indian you failed in your duties to your motherland. You did neither good to your Nation nor your community. Shame on you by calling yourself the Iron Man, next to Sardar and shame on you by calling yourself the sole reprsentative of the Hindus.

Walk your talk. Or else, don't talk at all.

You have no moral right to talk anymore. No moral right to criticise the UPA govt on communal lines. Do some introspection Mr.Advani. UP was in BJP's hands and so was Uttaranchal, which had the most revered pilgrim centres like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Mathura, Vrindavan, Kashi and Ayodhya. Not a single religious township or temple got the attention of the Hindu nationalists.

Gangotri, visited by lakhs from all over the world, does not have power supply even today or a workable telephone connection. Ayodhya, Mathura and Vrindavan are the filthiest towns and its temples remain badly mismanaged under government control. Though you demand that Hindu temples be freed from State control, not a single Hindu nationalist state government has yet started a plan to de-control Hindu temples in their states and make them a 'shining example' of their 'vision, agenda, programme' and all that which gets an entry into their idea of Ram Rajya.

In a way it is good for India as well as BJP that it is out of power. They say power corrupts people. But, it has also blind folded BJP. The time till 2009 is a good time for readdressing the basic things and re-organising the party. But with a leader who is clueless about where to start, what to do and above all how to lead, I doubt if BJP can rise back to their origional vigour in 1997.

A weak opposition party is not good for the nation. A strong BJP is in the national as well as in the congress's interest. A weak congress has destabilised India and has pushed BJP out of power. In the same sense, a weak BJP might push congress out of power.

God only can help India !!!

Murali