30th anniversary of Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram

Clean politics, good governance vital: Advani 
PNS | Thiruvananthapuram


Clean politics and good governance are the touchstones by which people judge political leaders in a democratic country, senior BJP leader LK Advani has said. His party could not compromise on these two aspects, he said in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

Addressing a meeting organized to mark the 30th anniversary of Sangh think-tank and cultural forum Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram, Advani said, “In politics, you must be able to give good governance when in power. If you are not in power you should be practicing clean politics. These are the touchstones people use to judge politicians.”

Good governance and clean politics were the virtues the BJP had decided to give to the people and it could not waver on this principle, he said, alluding to the recent scams but without making reference to any person or event specifically.

However, he did take an indirect dig at the Congress by saying that some parties continued to be at the hold of family or dynasty, but added that things were changing. Advani also said that nobody could say for sure whether the UPA II would complete its term and that the next elections could be held before 2014.

The veteran leader with rich experience took a brief trip through memories by saying that that India had survived as a vibrant democracy despite the cynicism the Western world had expressed at the time of Independence. Also, India was set to become a huge power in near future, he added.

Stating that a key factor that helped India flourish as a democracy was its unique cultural nationalism amidst its diversities and the people’s tolerance towards different perspectives, the BJP leader said that the relevance of Hinduism had increased in the modern era where various sections were in perpetual conflict.

In an indirect pat for West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Advani said that it was “because of one single individual’s determination and commitment that the CPI(M) had been defeated” there. He also used the occasion to point out how the communist parties had become irrelevant in the country.

Advani recalled that Members of Parliament from the communist party used to ask him whether his party had any future in India when he first became an MP. It was an irony that the communist rule had disappeared from the country where it had come to power for the first time, he added. However, he said that there was no untouchability in politics as far as the BJP was concerned.

Praising the works being done by the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram, Advani said the presence of think-tanks were important in a democracy. Kendram director and RSS ideologue P Parameswaran, historian MGS Narayanan and other distinguished personalities attended the programme.