Jeers And Cheers

Murali Manohar Joshi, senior leader, BJP:
Advaniji had never called Jinnah secular. Jinnah was the father of thetwo-nation theory and India's Partition. The partition has accepted my view inthe resolution.    

Pravin Togadia, general secretary, VHP:
By not apologising for his remarks,Advani had insulted the country which will never forgive him. The saints of the VHP will also not forgivehim.  He has made the people of this country sad and will not be acceptedby them. It is both a political and ideological failure.         

Acharya Giriraj Kishore, senior vice-president, VHP:
It was a high-profile drama. If Advani is continuing as president even after the party has not accepted his line on Jinnah, it only shows hisweakness. The VHP would never accept Jinnah as a secular person as said by Advani inPakistan. In fact, this (the withdrawal of resignation) is a victory for the party anda defeat for Advani. The status of one person has been given more importance than the party ideology in the entire episode.Advani did not adhere to his principles. He had said he would not withdraw his resignation but has done thatnow.I seems there is drought of leadership in the BJP and there is no other leaderto take over the reins of the party. Advani is doing  a naatak bytrying to become a sympathiser of the Muslims.    

Ramnath Mahendra, treasurer, VHP:
We will strongly oppose L K Advani's withdrawal of his resignation as party president. We will not accept himanymore.

Shahnawaz Hussain, senior leader, BJP:
We consider Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as our leader. Indian Muslims are still suffering from the wounds inflicted by Jinnah and we came to BJP because ofthat. The way Jinnah wanted to give religious freedom in Pakistan, it still does notexist. It is wrong to point a finger at the patriotism of Advani. When we talk ofthe Parivar, VHP leaders should remain within limits. The suggestions made by the RSS carry much weight for the BJP. Nobody in the party can have the guts to go against theSangh. As far as Advani's resignation was concerned, he has not resigned under any pressure and it was on hisown.

Babulal Gaur, chief minister, Madhya Pradesh:
The party will get strength with the withdrawal of resignation byAdvani.

Kashiram Rana, national executive member, BJP: 
Jinnah was never secular andthe BJP is of the same view that Jinnah was responsible for the two-nation theory and not a secularview. It (Advani's return) will strengthen the party and remove confusion on describing Jinnah assecular.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, senior leader, BJP:
Advaniji's decision would augur well for the Sangh, BJP party and as well as nationalpolitics. Every crisis is an opportunity. This would definitely strengthen the party.It was not a political drama.It is the future that will decide the impact of Advaniji's statement. There are'truths' about history and there are 'facts' of geography and they have to betaken care off.  Thereshould be a larger debate on the Partition.      

Haren Pathak, senior leader, BJP:
The whole episode, I feel, was because of a communication gap. In fact, Advani brought glory to the nation by inaugurating a temple in Lahore.He had only meant to highlight Jinnah's dream of creating a secular Pakistan where Hindus and Muslims wouldco-exist.

Sitaram Yechury, politburo member, CPI-M: 
The country has seen a political drama and at the end of it, all ideological issues have not been resolved. Its clear that this is an internal power struggle.If the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is secular, then the Sangh Parivar's fascistic Hindu Rashtrais also secular byinference. In the process, the genuine patriots are dubbed aspseudo-secularists. The final act is yet to unfold. Once the RSS chief has asked Vajpayee and Advani to quit and make way fora younger leadership that is bound to happen sooner or later, because the BJP is the political arm ofRSS. The agenda set by the RSS is the only agenda of the BJP. The core agenda of the RSS is a fascist Hindu Rashtra and the two-nationtheory. Advani says Jinnah is secular. Veer Savarkar had propagated the two-nation theory 20 years before Jinnah came out with his views. He now terms the Leftist parties fighting communalism aspseudo-secularists.

Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary, CPI-(ML):
The BJP is nothing more than a puppet organisation of the RSS. The episode has put a big question mark on the relevance and existence of the BJPitself.

D. Raja, senior leader, CPI:
It is a big drama full of duplicity and unscrupulousness. It is Advani's surrender anda bigcompromise. Finally, it is clear that the BJP is nothing but a political arm of the RSS, whose ideology is communal andfascist. Now it is for the so-called secular allies of the NDA to clarify theirposition.

Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, senior leader, Congress:
The country witnessed sheer drama for the past 48 hours over these events. Advani wanted to turn himself from Ratnakar to Valmiki. But he ended up remainingRatnakar. It seems the BJP was waiting for something miraculous to happen like Jinnah himself waking up from his grave to confirm that he wassecular. It is ironic that he found the true meaning of secularism in Jinnah. The NDA will break up. The BJP is in disarray. Secular forces in the country are on theascendant. No, I do not mean that NDA would break up over the Jinnah issue. What Imeant is that the NDA would breakup. Key NDA ally Telegu Desam is keeping away from the Sangh Parviar to retain itssecular tag and the JD(U) would follow suit. The JD(U) is also looking for an auspicious moment to partways.

Abhishek Singhvi, spokesperson, Congress:
The happenings in theBJP is the great Indian tamasha and the developments showed the saffron party having asplit personality. It is to be seen who will win. Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde. It is asoap opera whose next episode will come after a commercial break.

Lalu Prasad, president, RJD:
I have never seen a man in Indian politics who says something else in adifferent country but changes his statement back home. 

George Fernandes, president, JD-U:
The JD(U) rejects the BJP's contention that Jinnah was the only person responsible for the partition of India. History recognizes there were too many ofthem. The JD(U) saw nothing objectionable in Advani's speech and if anything, it is bound to bring the two nations closer to eachother. The party felt relieved that Advani remains BJP president having overcome thestorm that was raised over a speech made by him during his very successful visitto Pakistan.

Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, foreign minister, Pakistan:
Advani's visit helped the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India...His comments gave greater permanence to the peaceprocess. The reaction of some extremists to Advani's comments on Jinnah shows they (extremists) will go to any length to destroy the peace process and we must guard againstthat. The conclusion is that India and Pakistan must continue with the peace process at greater speed than hitherto so that it does not get hijacked byextremists.