Indian Party BJP Picks Up Pieces After Surprise Resignation
Indian politician LK Advani surprised his party, the BJP, by announcing his resignation as a senior member of the party. Advani will still remain a regular member. The announcement was accompanied by unkind words directed towards his colleagues, accusing them of pursuing self-interest first.
BJP officials gathered at the politician’s mansion in the evening and attempted to convince him to reverse the decision. The looming 2014 election will most definitely be impacted since Sunday saw the BJP jame its candidate, Narendra Modi. Despite these factors, Advani did not budge.
Advani, 86, had also written a strongly worded letter to the BJP President, which stated he could no longer follow the party in the direction that it was heading. The letter did not mention Modi.
Other BJP senior party members were noticeably absent from Modi’s naming-a ceremony similar to American primary elections. The rift is not the only thing that clouds Modi’s political futures-he has proven to be a controversial figure, drawing criticism on a failure to act in opposition to religious violence that shook India in 2002. This fact earned him the ire of Western nations, along with many Indians.
Still, he has drawn praise from businesspeople for his work in Indian state Gujarat. Western nations have also begun to engage with Modi, in spite of their former shunning.
Should Modi move past the controversy, he would have to contend with the Congress party their candidate, Rahul Gandhi follows in the footsteps of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy. The Congress Party has led a coalition government since 2004 but has become embroiled in corruption and had to deal with Indian economic slowdown. The party reacted to Advani’s resignation by stating that the BJP was politically bankrupt.
Advani had become the BJP president in 1986 and helped with the powerful Ram temple movement. This helped the BJP grow to attain national status in 1998. The BJP must now chart a course without Advani.
[Image Via Fox.in}
