New Delhi: Lal Krishna Advani was the last speaker of the day at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. And when he spoke, people listened in rapt attention. Afterall,
they could be listening to a future prime minister.
The BJP leader and the former deputy prime minister was bristling with aggression when asked to map out his vision for the future. He said, before the future was discussed, the present had to be analysed. Advani then went out to detail how the five years of Congress rule has hurt the country.
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Despite a tough rejoinder from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the trust vote in July, Advani was back taking digs at the man he has called “the weakest prime minister ever”.
“The UPA is a collection of independent fiefdoms of various ministers without any fear of the authority of the prime minister who is a passive observer.”
That would have surely rankled the Congress. But Advani was intent on giving out messages to others as well. “India will not be adjunct to any foreign power”, he declared. The BJP has opposed the nuclear deal with the US on the grounds that it compromises the sovereignty of India.
Advani was even willing to discuss the possibility of a Congress-BJP government at the Centre. “Let the proposal be made by the other side. And there has to be a crisis of that nature.”
It was reassuring to know that bickering politicians are prepared to work together if the need ever arises.