- Born:
- November 8, 1927, Karachi, British India [now in Pakistan] (age 99)
- Title / Office:
- Lok Sabha (1998-2019), India
- Rajya Sabha (1970-1989), India
- Political Affiliation:
- Bharatiya Jana Sangh
- Bharatiya Janata Party
- Awards And Honors:
- Bharat Ratna (2024)
Lal Krishna Advani
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Who is Lal Krishna Advani?
Lal Krishna Advani (born in Karachi, British India, on November 8, 1927) is an Indian politician and a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served as India's deputy prime minister from 2002 to 2004 and played a significant role in strengthening the BJP, establishing it as a major political force from its formation in 1980.
Advani's political journey began with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He then became secretary of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in Rajasthan in 1951. In 1980, Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed the pro-Hindu BJP. To promote the party, Advani organized rath yatras (political tours) in the 1990s.
Advani was appointed twice as the union home minister and was named deputy prime minister in 2002. After the BJP's defeat in 2004, he became the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. In 2019, the BJP did not list him as a candidate for his Lok Sabha seat, and he left office later that year. In 2024, he was conferred the Bharat Ratna award.
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Which political party is Lal Krishna Advani associated with?
Lal Krishna Advani is associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was a founding member of the party and played a significant role in popularizing and strengthening it from its formation in 1980. The BJP traces its roots to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), which was established in 1951. After the breakdown of the BJS, Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed the BJP. To promote the party, Advani initiated rath yatras, political tours, in the 1990s. He served as deputy prime minister of India from 2002 to 2004.
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What important positions has Advani held in the Indian government?
Lal Krishna Advani, a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has held several significant positions in the Indian government. He served as the union home minister in the BJP-led coalition government twice, in 1998 and 1999. In 2002, he was named deputy prime minister of India, holding the position until 2004. Additionally, Advani served as the information and broadcasting minister in the Janata Party. After his party's defeat in the 2004 general elections, he became the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
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How did Advani help shape the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?
Lal Krishna Advani significantly shaped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), becoming a founding member in 1980. He strengthened the party, helping it become a dominant political force in India.
Advani popularized the party through rath yatras (political tours) in the 1990s. By adopting a more moderate stance in the mid-1990s, the BJP broadened its base, leading to success in the 1998 and 1999 parliamentary elections. Although Lal Krishna Advani faced opposition from within the party, he and Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed the pro-Hindu BJP.
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What major events in India's politics has Advani been involved in?
Lal Krishna Advani, a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), significantly shaped Indian politics. In 1990, he led a Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat, to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, advocating for a Rama temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site where the Babri Masjid stood. His arrest during the tour triggered widespread Hindu-Muslim riots.
Advani served as deputy prime minister (2002–04) and played a key role in the BJP's rise, using political tours to promote the party's agenda. He was twice appointed union home minister.
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What is the legacy of Lal Krishna Advani in Indian politics?
Lal Krishna Advani, a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), significantly shaped Indian politics by popularizing and strengthening the party, leading it to become a dominant political force. As deputy prime minister (2002–04), he also served as union home minister in BJP-led governments.
Advani also led a series of rath yatras (political tours) in the 1990s to promote the party's agenda. Notably, his Ram Rath Yatra in 1990 raised awareness about building a Hindu temple to the god Rama at the Ram Janmabhoomi. In February 2024, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Lal Krishna Advani (born November 8, 1927, Karachi, British India [now in Pakistan]) is an Indian politician who was a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and deputy prime minister of India (2002–04). He was largely responsible for popularizing and strengthening the BJP, which, from its formation in 1980, emerged as one of the strongest political forces in India.
After graduating from the D.G. National College in Hyderabad, Advani studied law at the Government Law College in Bombay (now Mumbai). He joined the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS; “National Volunteers Corps”) and took charge of its activities in Rajasthan in 1947. When Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS; Indian People’s Association), the political wing of the RSS, in 1951, Advani became secretary of the party’s unit in Rajasthan. He held that position until 1970, when he moved to the Delhi unit.
In 1970 Advani became a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament, a seat that he held until 1989. He was elected president of the BJS in 1973 and continued at the helm until 1977. Advani relinquished the post when he was appointed information and broadcasting minister in the Janata Party, a coalition of several major parties opposed to the period of national emergency that had been declared in 1975, headed by Morarji Desai. During his ministerial tenure, he abolished press censorship, repealed all antipress legislation enacted during the period of national emergency, and institutionalized reforms to safeguard the freedom of the media.
Following the collapse of the Desai government and subsequent breakdown of the BJS, a large number of the party’s members—led by Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee—formed a new political party, the pro-Hindu BJP, in 1980. To popularize the party and publicize its agenda, Advani undertook a series of rath yatras (political tours), traversing the country in the 1990s. Working to broaden its electoral base, the party adopted a more moderate, secular agenda in the mid-1990s. This strategy was largely responsible for the BJP’s success in the parliamentary elections in 1998 and 1999. That success extended to Advani personally as he was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house) in 1998, representing Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Appointed twice (1998 and 1999) as the union home minister in the BJP-led coalition government, Advani was named deputy prime minister in 2002. Following his party’s defeat in the general elections of 2004, he became the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. Advani ran as his party’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2009 general election. He resigned his cabinet position following the party’s defeat. In 2019 the BJP did not list him as a candidate for his Lok Sabha seat, and he left office later that year.
On February 3, 2024, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Advani will be conferred the prestigious Bharat Ratna award. In his announcement, Modi expressed that this is a “very emotional moment” for him and he considers it a privilege that he got countless opportunities to interact with Advani and to learn from him.