#L.K. Advani

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Baba Lal Das was the pujari appointed by the Lucknow High Court in 1981 to look after the Ram idols placed in Babri Masjid. In the 1992 documentary Ram Ke Naam he criticised the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's agitation of the Hindus to build Ram Mandir and condemned L.K. Advani's Ram Rath Yatra. He was brought in as a key witness in a suit against the VHP and BJP by the Central Bureau of Investigation soon after the demolition of Babri.

He was shot dead an year later.

[phoenixx-news]

Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (Amit Shah) – A Biography

Early Life and Education

Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah, born on October 22, 1964, in Mumbai to Mrs. Kusum Ben and Mr. Anilchandra Shah, hails from a family with deep roots in Gujarat. His grandfather was a prosperous merchant (Nagar Seth) in Mansa, a small princely state of the Baroda State of Gaikwad. Shah spent his early years in Mansa, where he received his primary education. His upbringing was steeped in the ‘Indian Value Tradition,’ under the guidance of eminent scholars from the Gaikwad State, focusing on Indian scriptures, historical texts, grammar, and epics.

Influences and Early Political Engagement

After completing his primary education, Shah’s family relocated to Ahmedabad. Influenced by his mother, an ardent Gandhian, Shah embraced the simplicity of Khadi. His fascination with the biographies of patriots and the writings of K.M. Munshi deeply influenced his young mind.

At the age of 13, during the 1977 general elections amidst the Emergency period, Shah actively participated in the campaign, supporting Maniben Patel, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s daughter, who contested from the Mehsana Lok Sabha seat as a Jana Sangh candidate.

Early Political Career

Shah’s formal political journey began at 16 when he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a young Swayamsevak in 1980. By 1982, he was the joint secretary of the Gujarat unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and worked as a polling agent for the BJP in 1984. He joined the BJP Yuva Morcha in 1987 and became involved with the Deendayal Research Institute, serving as its treasurer for eight years. This period allowed him to learn from the social reformer Nanaji Deshmukh.

Rise in the BJP

In 1989, Shah became the BJP secretary of Ahmedabad, playing a pivotal role during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the Ekta Yatra. He managed election campaigns for senior leaders like L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Gandhinagar until 2009. Shah’s association with Narendra Modi began in the 1990s when Modi was the BJP’s Organization Secretary in Gujarat. Shah’s business acumen helped him significantly when he became the chairman of the Gujarat Pradesh Finance Corporation in 1995, turning around the corporation’s financial health.

Political Achievements in Gujarat

Shah was appointed the National Treasurer of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha in 1997 and won the Sarkhej assembly by-election by a margin of 25,000 votes. He continuously won assembly elections until 2012, with increasing margins each time. As an MLA, Shah facilitated numerous development projects and became the state secretary of Gujarat BJP in 1998, and state vice-president within a year.

Leadership in Cooperative Sector and Further Political Roles

At 36, Shah became the youngest chairman of the Ahmedabad District Co-operative Bank (ADCB) in 2000, transforming its financial status. He was appointed as the convener of the BJP’s National Cooperative Cell in 2001. He played a crucial role in the 2002 Gujarat assembly elections under Narendra Modi’s leadership and served as a minister in the Gujarat government, holding key portfolios like Home, Traffic, Prohibition, Parliamentary Affairs, Law, and Excise.

National Politics and BJP Presidency

In 2013, Shah became the BJP’s National General Secretary. During the 2014 elections, he was pivotal in the BJP’s success in Uttar Pradesh, securing 73 seats. On July 9, 2014, Shah became the BJP National President. Under his leadership, the BJP expanded its organizational base and achieved significant electoral successes, forming governments in states like Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Haryana, and Maharashtra. He was re-elected as the national president in 2016 and became a trustee of the Somnath Temple Trust the same year.

Ministerial Roles and Legislative Achievements

In 2017, Shah was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and continued to strengthen the party’s presence across India. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Gandhinagar, winning by a significant margin. Appointed as the Home Minister in 2019, Shah played a crucial role in major legislative changes, including the abrogation of Article 370 and the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Contributions to Security and Disaster Management

Shah has been instrumental in resolving long-standing issues in Kashmir and the northeastern states, implementing a zero-tolerance policy against Left-Wing Extremism, and improving disaster management protocols. His efforts have bolstered internal security and the National Disaster Response Force’s (NDRF) effectiveness.

Ministry of Cooperation and Personal Life

In 2021, Shah was appointed as the Minister of Cooperation, focusing on revitalizing the cooperative movement. Despite his busy political career, Shah enjoys various cuisines, old films, and chess. He has not traveled abroad since 2006, maintaining a disciplined and spiritual lifestyle.

Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah’s journey from a young activist to one of India’s most influential politicians is marked by strategic acumen, dedication to public service, and a deep commitment to the nation’s security and development.

[pravatibanglanews]

BJP's senior leader LalKrishna Advani returned home from hospital in Delhi.

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L.K. Advani admitted to AIIMS in Delhi - The Hindu

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWhpbmR1LmNvbS9uZXdzL25hdGlvbmFsL2xrLWFkdmFuaS1hZG1pdHRlZC10by1haWltcy1pbi1kZWxoaS9hcnRpY2xlNjgzMzc3MDcuZWNl0gFkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaGluZHUuY29tL25ld3MvbmF0aW9uYWwvbGstYWR2YW5pLWFkbWl0dGVkLXRvLWFpaW1zLWluLWRlbGhpL2FydGljbGU2ODMzNzcwNy5lY2UvYW1wLw?oc=5&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[jayprakashraj]

Lal Krishna Advani Award: Advani Will Get Bharat Ratna Because Of This | Raj Express

L.K. Advani, the veteran BJP leader at 96, will be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this on Saturday, making Advani the 50th recipient of this prestigious accolade.

[mahampsc]

Honour and exception: The Hindu Editorial on the Bharat Ratna and its recipients

The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of the country, has been conferred on 50 people since 1954. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and the late socialist leader, Karpoori Thakur, are the newest recipients. The making of national heroes is equally about the recipients as it is about its function as a stimulant of a collective consciousness. It is often the collective that…

[questlation]

Summary of Press Briefing by Home Mi... https://questlation.com/politics/transcriptofpressbriefingbytheofficialspokesperson-21/?feed_id=10770&_unique_id=63ccf06e266f8

[internationalnewz]

L K Advani's 95th Birthday: A look at his biography, Political career and more

Lal Krishna Advani is one of the prominent figures in Indian politics over the last few decades and remained the Leader of Opposition in the 10th and 14th Lok Sabha. L K Advani served as Home Minister and then Deputy Prime Minister from 1998 to 2004 while Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. He was born to Shri Kishinchand Advani and Gyanidevi on November 8, 1927, in Karachi. Let’s read more about him as he turns 95.

Family Brief: L.K. Advani’s father was Mr. Kishinchand, his mother was Gyanidevi. His younger sister is Sheela. He is married to Kamla Advani since 1965 and has two children, son Jayant and daughter Pratibha Advani.

Career: Lal Krishna Advani attended St. Patrick’s High School in Karachi for his formal education. From 1936 until 1942, he spent six years there as a student. When L.K. Advani was appointed the Secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Karachi, in 1947, his career as a social worker officially began.

Political Strides: In 1947, L. K. Advani was appointed the RSS’s Karachi wing’s Secretary. He joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951. Shri Shyama Prasad Mookerjee created the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He served as the Bharatiya Jan Sangh’s leader from 1966 to 1967.

L.K. Advani represented Delhi in the Rajya Sabha from the years 1970 to 1976. He was selected to lead the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in the year 1973. He represented Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha from 1976 to 1982. . After the Jana Sangh was disbanded in 1977, L.K. Advani and respected leader Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee joined the Janata Party.

The Janata Party won the Lok Sabha elections in 1977, and Morarji Desai was appointed the country’s new prime minister. L.K. Advani served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from January 1980 to April 1980. He was selected to serve as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s general secretary in the year 1980 and did so until the year 1986. He was re-elected to serve in the Rajya Sabha for a third time in 1982. He was elected president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1986 and served in that capacity until 1991. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha for a fourth term in the year 1988. L. K. Advani was appointed to serve in the 9th Lok Sabha in the year 1989. He served as the leader of the BJP’s Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 1991.

The Indian Parliamentary Group presented Lal Krishna Advani with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1999.

In accordance with the Recruitment and Conditions Rules of 1955, L.K. Advani served as the Chairman of Review at the Lok Sabha Secretariat Committee from 1990 to 1991. He was elected to the tenth Lok Sabha for a second term in 1991. He served as the leader of the opposition from 1991 to 1993.

L.K. Advani once more became leadership of the BJP from the years 1993 to 1998. He was elected to serve a third term as a member of the 12th Lok Sabha in the year 1998. He served as the Union Cabinet’s Minister of Home Affairs from 1998 to 1999.He was re-elected to the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999, this time for a fourth term. He served as the Union Cabinet’s Minister of Home Affairs from October 1999 to May 2004.

L.K. Advani served as deputy prime minister from June 29, 2002, until May 4, 2004. He served as the Union Cabinet Minister of Personnel, Pensions & Public Grievances from July 1, 2002, to August 25, 2002. He was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004 and was chosen as the Leader of the Opposition.

L.K. Advani was a member of the Committee on Home Affairs from August 5, 2006, to May 2009. He i was re-elected to the fifteenth Lok Sabha in 2009 for a sixth term. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha from May 2009 until December 2009.

On August 4, 2009, L.K. Advani was selected to join the Parliament House Complex’s Committee on Installation of Statues/Portraits of National Leaders and Parliamentarians. He joined the Committee on Home Affairs on August 31, 2009. He joined the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Maintenance of Heritage Character & Development of Parliament House Complex on December 15, 2009, becoming a member on that day.

L.K. Advani resigned from every position he held on June 10, 2013. He expressed his worries, claiming that the BJP was founded by Nanaji Deshmukh, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Deendayal Upadhyaya and is no longer the innocent party. However, L.K.Advani withdrew his resignation after an intervention and a promise from senior leader Rajnath Singh that the party would address and investigate his concerns.

[newsoutbursts]

RSS and other like-minded groups worked for 30 years to fulfil Ram temple resolve: Bhagwat

RSS and other like-minded groups worked for 30 years to fulfil Ram temple resolve: Bhagwat

Ayodhya: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other like-minded organisations worked for nearly 30 years to fulfil the resolve of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Wednesday. Bhagwat was one of the selected invitees at the ‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony of a Ram temple at the site where a large number of Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.

The RSS chief mentioned BJPpatr…

[latestbreakingnewsupdates]

What more could Congress give to Sachin Pilot: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

What more could Congress give to Sachin Pilot: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel speaks completely to The Hinduon the newest scheme ‘Godhan Nyay Yojana’ the place the State will purchase cattle dung, political occasions in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh’s personal political state of affairs because the final of the three States (Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh had been gained by Congress in 2018) to date standing untouched…

[krishnaprasad-blog]

Are Hindus in Karnataka in grave danger?

You can answer that question in many ways.

I had an aunt who read eight newspapers every morning. She would have angrily said, ‘Yaava huchch munde maga heliddu?”

Translation: which SOB is saying this?

But you can answer that question without breaking into expletives like my aunt. One way is to pose a counter question, or a series of counter questions.

Like:

# Is the Earth flat?

# Have 15 lakh rupees been deposited in your bank account by Narendra Modi?

# Is Arnab Goswami the most sober, balanced, non-partisan anchor on TV?

If your answers are, no, no and no, respectively, your answer is most likely to be “No” to the question: “Are Hindus in Karnataka in grave danger?”

No, as in illa, illai, ledhu, nahin, nyet.

Still, to see singers of the sangh gharana chanting a tired old raga about the plight of Hindus in Karnataka makes you wonder if the “Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan” party is lost for ideas as it readies for the assembly elections in the State.

Or, worse, if it has lost its mind.

Or, if there is a more devious gameplan at play.

***

The plight of Hindus at the hands of a pseudo-secular, minority-appeasing Congress is not a new discovery for the BJP. It has drummed this over and over again into impressionable heads for a quarter of a century.

You would expect young and ambitious BJP politicians in Karnataka like Anantkumar Hegde, Naveen Kumar Kateel, Shobha Karandlaje, or even Pratap Simha, all of them MPs, to make a headline-grabbing charge like this in an election season.

After all, they are the designated flame-throwers, the rabble rousers.

All of them are from the coastal belt or the Malnad region, baptised by the fires of  “polarisation”, and the embers of “communal mobilisation”.

This is not a new phenomenon in that part of the world. It has gone on for over two decades. Maybe more.

You could even expect the BJP’s old guard like former deputy Chief Minister K.S. Eswarappa to say stuff like that, because even in peace time, they provide no proof that there is any synaptic link between what their brain processes, and their tongue spouts.

But when the BJP as a registered political party, recognised by the Election Commission and sworn to protect the Constitution of India—with a blue tick from Twitter—goes official with some fantastic fear-mongering you are forced to sit up and take notice.

Recently BJP MPs took their “Hindu Lives in Danger” protest to Delhi. They held placards, sat in protest, gave interviews.

Five days ago, the BJP’s official Twitter handle in Karnataka put out this message.

https://twitter.com/BJP4Karnataka/status/970998023210741760

This is a staggering tweet even by the rather low standards of Indian political discoure.

It assumes many things. It assumes that the BJP is the sole protector of Hindus in Karnataka. It talks as if there is fear on the street. It talks as if there has been a bloodbath. It uses some newly learnt words like “annihilation”. And worse, it equates a democratically elected CM of a state, whom it has called “Mulla Siddaramaiah” with “jihad”.

The goalpost, you will notice, has subtly shifted in the hashtags: from “Congress-mukt Bharat” to “#JihadimuktaKarnataka”, to “#HinduvirodhiCongress.

Words like Jihad and jihadi—or “pink revolution” or “Pakistan”—is usually RSS-BJP shorthand for Muslims, a kind of a Morse code.

But if you are a young man or woman in Karnataka, or if you are a middle-aged man or woman, whether you are a Hindu or not, you should ask: WTF?

***

Not surprisingly, many are seeing through the charade. Nitin Pai, a Kannadiga who runs a think tank called Takshashila in Bangalore, tweeted back to the BJP.

It is not just Kannadigas who think this is a joke.

Even non-Kannadigas are seeing through the farce.

Delhi-based journalist Aditya Menon tweeted that if this was the way the BJP was going to address the Karnataka elections, the party didn’t need to create a manifesto.

Raghu Ram, the MTV executive who created Roadies, termed the BJP Karnataka claim as a “hate message”.

This is how clear the BJP’s strategy is to lay citizens. So why is the BJP making such an issue of it?

This is why I thought we need to speak about this, because very soon the TV crews with designated reporters, some of them in war fatigues, will be despatched from Delhi to create the mahol, the atmosphere

And they will try to turn Karnataka into Kannur with live shows.

You can bet the bottom of your bisi bele baath that one of these charlies will soon call Karnataka the “killing fields”, based on the BJP claim.

Any political party with a semblance of self-respect would take that as an insult, but the BJP it seems would like to wear it as a badge of honour.

Why?

***

The key reason, of course, is that keeping the communal pot boiling is a very important ingredient in the BJP recipe for elections.

Especially in communally sensitive pockets, like the west coast, and the Malnad region, where the percentage of Muslims is slightly higher than the state average.

Karnataka has a population of 6.25 crore according to the 2011 census. The state has the second highest Muslim population in South India after Kerala.

Hindus comprise 84%, a little over 5 crores.

Muslims are at 13%, about 80 lakhs.

But in the areas represented by M/s Hegde, Karandalaje, Kateel, the Muslim presence is slightly higher.

It is 74 per cent in Bhatkal.

24% in Dakshina Kannada.

16% in Kodagu.

14% in Uttara Kannada.

Those are precisely the places through which the BJP is taking out a ‘Jan Suraksha Yatra’, and you can imagine the slogans, speeches that must be going out.

Narendra Modi famously, notoriously said “Hum Paanch, hamare pachees” to incite Hindus against Muslims.

Something similar is playing out here, where in response to one of the tweets questioning its “hate message”, the Karnataka BJP talked vacuously of exploding Muslim numbers.

That is also not true.

50 years ago, in 1961, the Census put the Muslim population in Karnataka at nearly 10%. By that yardstick, a 13% presence today in 2018 looks larger.

But compared to the 2001 census, the Muslim population is stable in the state.

Yet, the Karnataka BJP likes to believe that Hindus are in danger because of the population explosion of Muslims.

Really?

***

An equally important reason is that Muslims form the second biggest vote bank in Karnataka after dalits and tribals.

Two out of three Muslims in Karnataka live in urban centres, which means that of the 80 lakh Muslims, about 50 lakh of them live in cities and towns.

One statistic I read showed that Muslims are in a majority in 22 out of Karnataka’s 248 towns, and their population is between 40-50% in another 20 of them. So, in roughly 40 towns, Muslim voters hold the aces.

K. Rehman Khan, the Congress politician, claims that Muslims are the deciding factor in at least 100 out of Karnataka’s 224 constituencies.

And 24 of those are in the three areas represented by Hegde, Kateel and Karandalaje.

So, raising the bogey of “Hindu Lives in Danger” is one way for the BJP to consolidate Hindu voters against a phantom.

***

And they are doing it in a variety of ways. Some conspicuous, some sub-conscious.

So they openly oppose the Congress government’s decision to celebrate Tipu Sultan‘s birthday, Tipu Jayanti.

They take out rallies through communally sensitive areas in towns in the name of Hanuma Jayanti.

They question Shaadi Bhagya, a scheme to provide incentives to poor couples, because shaadi has a Muslim connotation.

They question the “secular” nature of the Constitution, as Anantkumar Hegde did.

Inter-faith couples at bus stops are attacked in the name of love jihad.

They say the West Coast will burn if an RSS leader called Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat is arrested.

All this is mostly confined to the West Coast but its message seeps down to the rest of the state because the media repeats and amplifies it in infinite loop.

The balance of terror is attained.

All this also provides the backdrop to the bigger message, or what they think is their masterstroke, which is the alleged killing of BJP-RSS workers, which is quickly interpreted to imply that “Hindu Lives Are in Danger”.

And that the Congress is party to this.

As Sonia Gandhi herself admitted two days ago, the BJP has managed to convey to the people that the Congress is a Muslim party.

So, the BJP in Karnataka can afford to put out a blatantly communal message like this one.

https://twitter.com/BJP4Karnataka/status/971010237598593024

***

A failed by-election in Kerala should have been a sobering experience for the Hindutva project, where too the BJP made a big song and dance over the killing of RSS workers and turned it into a “Hindu Lives in Danger” story.

The by-election was being held in Vengara.

Arun Jaitley visted the homes of RSS/BJP workers killed but not CPM workers.

The apostle of peace, Yogi Adityanath, lectured Kerala about medical facilities in the state, after hundreds of children had died in Gorakhpur.

Amit Shah took part in a Jan Suraksha yatra before his son Jay Amit Shah‘s troubles beckoned him back to Delhi.

Like in Karnataka, the words “jihad”, “jihadi”, “love jihad” flew around.

In the end, BJP got fewer votes in Vengara than in the previous election in 2016.

In spite of that experience, the BJP is now well set on its course of turning the Karnataka elections into a battle between pro-Hindu and anti-Hindu forces.

In spite of the fact, that a Lokniti survey shows that “one of every two Hindus reports having a Muslim as a close friend compared to one out of three in other states.”

***

The death of BJP-RSS workers in Karnataka, like in Kerala, is therefore being primed to be the cause celebre before the Karnataka elections of 2018.

At a recent rally, BJP president Amit Shah said:

https://twitter.com/BJP4India/status/951137829739900929

The Siddaramaiah government has countered these claims repeatedly.

The state home ministry claims that of the 23 deaths over which BJP claims ownership, only nine died in communal clashes; 13 died due to other reasons.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, the working president of the Congress, tweeted that Hindutva forces themselves caused the deaths of three Hindus and five Muslims.

Yet by repeating it endlessly, and by exaggerating it, the BJP has put an official seal on the “Hindu Lives are in Danger” claim, conflating BJP karyakartas with Hinduism, although 5.13 crore Hindus are going about their lives peacefully, happily.

It calls Siddaramaiah ‘narahantaka‘ (a blood sucker), a word I last heard being used for the forest brigand Veerappan.

https://twitter.com/ShobhaBJP/status/959454864383381504

Of course, she doesn’t talk of the deaths of Gauri Lankesh and M.M. Kalburgi although they were Hindus too,

***

So why is the BJP, whose leaders make a big scene of eating at the homes of Dalits, doing this?

There can be only two reasons for this: ignorance or arrogance.

Ignorance: It has no idea of the South. It does not know that Kannadigas, more than anywhere else in India, do not believe that Hindus are more patriotic than minorities, or that Muslims are mostly violent, as Lokniti survey shows.

Arrogance: It does not care what South Indians think of this thuggish approach to politics, which endangers social peace and harmony built over centuries, as long as it fetches votes and seats.

The third reason could be that the BJP knows in Karnataka, as elsewhere, that it has no chance of gaining Muslim sympathies.

So stereotyping the community, creating a siege mentality, spreading fear among graduates of WhatsApp University is a no-risk gamble.

***

The Congress won a surprisingly large proportion of seats in the west coast in the last elections in 2013 despite a similar ‘atmosphere’. Many analysts think that was an aberration and the BJP may well be on the way to recapturing its hold. So by raking it up in a big way now, it is making sure.

James Manor, the University of London professor, wrote recently:

“Communal polarisation as an electoral strategy lacks promise except on the coast and in minor pockets, and pushing “hard Hindutva” can backfire as it did in the last election, which is why Yeddyurappa is not keen to harp on it.”

Yeddyurappa is said to have warned the rabble rousers to go easy, but the fact that they continue to do so, implies they could be marching to the beat of a different drummer from Delhi—or Nagpur.

Which means Yeddyurappa himself might not be on strong footing although he is the designated CM candidate.

To be fair, when he first became chief minister, in the Vajpayee-Advani era, Yeddyurappa appointed a Muslim MLC as minister. Under Modi and Shah will the BJP even give a ticket to a Muslim? They did not in UP or Gujarat.

11 Muslims were elected MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly in 2013. How many will make it this time will tell us how much the BJP’s “Hindu Lives in Danger” campaign has succeeded.

As James Manor wrote recently: “In Karnataka and beyond, the BJP’s reliance on communal spite runs great risks.”

Q: Are Hindus in danger in Karnataka? A: Is Arnab Goswami the most balanced anchor on TV? Are Hindus in Karnataka in grave danger? You can answer that question in many ways. I had an aunt who read eight newspapers every morning.

[kalyan-gullapalli]

Post # 133

Israel : India's new BFF...

On 4th July, 2017, Narendra Modi became the first sitting Indian prime minister to visit Israel. His counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, was seen alongside Modi on all three days, accompanying him to various industrial and cultural visits. The press duely reported his unusual level of participation, underscoring the significance of the trip for both the countries. Unlike prior diplomatic initiatives, the Indian prime minister did not balance this outreach with a visit to Palestine, India's long time friend, and Israel's staunchest enemy. India and Israel had become new BFFs.

And yet in 1948, when Israel became independent from Great Britain, just months after India did, India refused to recognize Israel as a newly formed country. Till 1992, India and Israel didn't have embassies in each others' countries, though there were informal engagements between the two countries. Since then, the relationship between the two countries has gone from strength to strength.

Today, India is the largest importer of Israeli defense systems. Israel is the second largest defense supplier to India, after Russia. In 1992, India-Israel trade was a paltry USD 200 million. In 2018, it had grown to almost USD 6 billion. India is a top-ten trading partner for Israel. And by the looks of it, this is just the trailer. Picture abhi baki hai.

So, what's the story behind this U-turn of the relationship? How did the indifferent, sometimes frosty relationship between the two countries suddenly blossom into such exuberant friendship? Therein lies a tale.

Cultural ties between India and Israel are millennia old, because both of them are pretty old civilizations. It is said that King Solomon used teak wood and ivory from the Malabar coast of India to build his palace and other structures in the grand city of Jerusalem, around 900 to 1000 BCE.

Tradition speaks of Jews coming to the Malabar coast of India on exile, after the destruction of the Temple of Solomon, during the Siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The locals welcomed them with open arms. When the second temple of Solomon was also destroyed during the Second Siege of Jerusalem in 68 CE, another batch of Jews arrived in India. Jews have been coming to India ever since.

Throughout the world, especially in Europe, Jews have been despised and persecuted for ages. India is the only land where they were welcome to live and integrate into the local culture. This is borne out by the fact that some of the oldest Jewish synagogues outside of Israel are in Kerala, India.

Infact, during the reign of Raja Baskara Varman I, the king welcomed the Jews and issued a royal decree in Tamil to the effect that, “the Jews are being given the village of Anjuvannam and it would remain in their possession, so long as the world and moon exist.” Pretty dramatic, huh? The relics recording this conversation are still available.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his visit to Israel in 2017, gifted Benjamin Netanyahu with replicas of these relics, reinforcing the strong roots of ties between the two countries.

In World War I, British Indian soldiers played a key role in the liberation of the cities of Jerusalem, Haifa and Acre, from the Turkish Ottomon Empire and Germans. So, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in turn, gifted Modi with a photo that depicted Indian soldiers on December 11, 1917, leading a British military column to liberate Jerusalem.

In 1918, soldiers from three Indian regiments, Jodhpur, Hyderabad and Mysore, sacrificed their lives while liberating Haifa, a prominent city in Jerusalem. Cementaries honoring these soldiers exist in Haifa and Jerusalem even today. In fact, the Teen Murti Marg in Delhi, which has been recently renamed as Teen Murti Haifa Marg, commemorates these three regiments.

Why then, one wonders, did the relationship go into a limbo post India's and Israel's independence?

The answer is - ideological differences.

Post India's independence from Britain in 1947, Indian leadership under Nehru took the non-alignment ideoligical path, whereas in reality leaning slightly towards Soviet Union and its pseudo-socialist economy. Whereas, post its independence from Britain just a few months later, in 1948, Israel decided to link its future with the capitalist west, especially the US.

Israel was formed on the basis of religion - It was a Jewish state. Gandhiji didn't like it. For him, Israel was like Pakistan - born with a religious identity.

For Nehruji, the problem was something else. He feared that close relations with the Jewish state might radicalize India's muslim citizens – numbering more than 100 million – and hurt its relations with the Arab world, on which India depended for oil.

So, in 1949, India voted against admission of Israel to United Nations. However, in 1950, India reversed its stand and officially recognised the State of Israel. Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stated, "We would have recognised Israel long ago, because Israel is a fact. We refrained because of our desire not to offend the sentiments of our friends in the Arab countries."

In 1953, Israel was permitted to open a consulate in Bombay to facilitate smooth emigration of Jews to their newly formed country.

From 1950 to the early 1990s, the relationship remained informal in nature. Domestically, politicians in India feared losing the muslim vote if relations were normalised with Israel. Also, India did not want to jeopardise the large number of its citizen working in Arab Gulf, who were helping India maintain its foreign-exchange reserves. But both governments maintained informal ties, especially in areas of surveillance and intelligence.

Things changed with the formation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an association of countries having muslim majorities. Many countries with significant muslim populations were given observer status. Pakistan blocked India's entry to that group. That gave India a legitimate reason to make overt diplomatic shifts.

In 1992, P V Narasimha Rao became the Prime minister of a near-bankrupt nation. Probably he had no other option, but somehow in the fading years of his political career, he took some bold decisions. He brought sweeping economic reforms and set the country on course to high growth levels. He made some drastic changes at the diplomatic levels too.

The same year, India opened up its embassy in Tel Aviv and Israel opened its embassy in New Delhi, with consulates in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Formal relationship between the two countries took off at an exponential pace.

In 1997, Ezer Weizman became the first Israeli President to visit India. In 2000, L.K Advani and Jaswant Sinha became the first Indian ministers to visit the state of Israel. In 2003, Ariel Sharon was the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India. In 2006, Narendra Modi made his first visit to Israel as Chief minister of Gujarat. In 2012, despite "India's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause", Foreign Minister SM Krishna made a two-day visit to Israel. In May 2014, after Narendra Modi became Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu personally called to congratulated him. Modi, in turn, met Netanyahu in New York City on the sideline of the UN General Assembly during his US visit in 2014. It has been bear hugs, big smiles and hand shakes all the way.

In 2012, Israel commemorated 20 years of diplomatic relations with India by coming out with a postal stamp, highlighting the similarities between Deepawali, the Indian festival of lights and Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, both these festivals falling around the same months of October-November.

Today, India and Israel collaborate in multiple areas - military, strategy and intelligence, trade, science and technology, space, agriculture, oil and natural gas exploration, tourism and cultural exchange.

In many ways, Israel has become India's new best friend!

Credits: Bharat Gyan and its promoters - D K Hari and Mrs. D K Hemahari's beautiful mini-book - Indo-Israel - A connect over millennia.

[questlation]

The Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani ... https://questlation.com/politics/pressreleasehomeministertakesseriousviewofreportedincidentofgangrapeinjampkapril202002/?feed_id=4487&_unique_id=63ac5a045012d

[thegulfindians]

Judgment in Babri Masjid demolition case due on Sept. 30

Judgment in Babri Masjid demolition case due on Sept. 30

K.P. Sethunath

The special CBI court is expected to deliver the much-awaited judgment in the Babri Masjid demolition case on September 30 in which senior leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stand as the accused.

Former BJP presdients L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and former Union Minister Uma Bharti are amongst the prime accused in…

[awesomerajeshahuja]

"The young officers are wanted…"

“The young officers are wanted…”

Dr. Kamlesh Chandigarh:

“The young officers are wanted…” This comment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Central Hall of Parliament in the programme ‘Vikas ke Liye Hum’ has brought attention to the age-old controversy of experience represented by seniority and enthusiasm and zeal represented by youth.

Mr.Modi stressed that officers in their late twenties should be appointed as District…

[ds4techofficial]

Ram Temple ceremony: Confusion over invite to Advani

Ram Temple ceremony: Confusion over invite to Advani

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Amid massive preparations for the ‘bhoomi poojan’ (ground- breaking ceremony) for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya slated for August 5, confusion prevails over whether the architect of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, has received an invitation to participate in the ceremony.

Senior aides of Mr. Advani confirmed to The Hinduthat an…