ADVANI'S DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE IN PAKISTAN PROVOKES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 004232

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR IN PK
SUBJECT: ADVANI'S DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE IN PAKISTAN PROVOKES
DEEP DIVISION IN THE BJP


Classified By: Charge Bob Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: During his landmark May 30-June 6 trip to
Pakistan, Opposition Leader LK Advani renounced his former
antagonism towards Pakistan and its founder Mohammad Ali
Jinnah, lauding him as a secular "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim
unity." Advani's public recognition of Pakistani sovereignty
and rejection of the RSS insistence of a "united India" that
would reabsorb Pakistan and Bangladesh, and his
characterization of the destruction of the Babri Mosque as
"the saddest day in my life," signified a clear break with
his earlier Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) ideology. The
dramatic visit outraged Advani's former supporters in the
Sangh Parivar (Hindu family of organizations),who called him
a "traitor to India's Hindus," and called for his resignation
from Parliament. The Sangh Parivar serves as the bedrock of
the BJP, and will now intensify its call for Advani's removal
as party president, setting off yet more conflict within an
already deeply divided party. End Summary.

A Kindler, Gentler Advani
--------------


2. (U) BJP Party President LK Advani's May 30-June 6 trip to
Pakistan was a spectacular break with his past. His first
visit there in 27 years has attracted considerable attention
in both countries because of his dramatic statements on
issues that have long concerned the RSS and other Hindutva
organizations which form the backbone of the BJP. The Indian
press prominently covered Advani,s public statements and
activities as he seemed to repudiate his earlier hard-line
image and reach out to the Pakistani people. The news which
provoked the strongest commentary in India were as follows:

-- During a June 2 speech at a South Asia Free Media
Association (a prominent Track-2 NGO) event in Lahore, Advani
acknowledged Pakistan as a separate, sovereign, and
independent nation. This signaled his acceptance of the
two-nation theory and repudiation of the RSS declaration of
"Akhand Bharat" (United India) that rejects the creation of
Pakistan and Bangladesh and calls for their reabsorption into
a "greater India." Any recognition of Pakistan's legitimacy
is anathema to Hindutva ideology;

-- Reinforcing this message on June 6, Advani became the
first Indian leader to pay his respects at the mausoleum of
Pakistan,s Founding Father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and visited
a former Jinnah family home in Karachi that is now a museum;

-- In public statements during the trip, Advani publicly
referred to Jinnah as an "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity,"
a phrase originally coined by former Congress Party President
Sarojini Naidu before Jinnah left the Congress Party to press
for an independent Pakistan;

-- Advani called Jinnah a "secular leader," quoting at length
from his August 11, 1947 speech that included the line: "You
may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has
nothing to do with the business of the state;"

-- Advani reportedly also emphasized the close cultural and
personal ties between Indians and Pakistanis, by adding that
"There is a little bit of India in every Pakistani, and a
little bit of Pakistan in every Indian;"

-- He described the December 6, 1992 destruction of the Babri
Masjid as "the saddest day of my life;" and

-- The Opposition Leader laid a foundation stone for the
restoration of what could be the oldest Hindu temple in
Pakistan, and invited Pakistan President Musharraf to do
likewise at an Indian mosque.

A Traitor to Hindutva
--------------


3. (U) Advani's behavior set off a firestorm of criticism by
his erstwhile friends and allies within the Sangh Parivar
(family of Hindu organizations). RSS spokesman Ram Madhav
denounced his statements in Pakistan, saying "What Advaniji
said in Karachi and earlier was not in line with RSS
thinking. The cadre is unhappy and confused, and the people
are angry." Madhav reiterated that in the view of the RSS,
Jinnah is blamed as one of the principal architects of the
break-up of India. He also rejected Advani's assertion that
Jinnah's August 11, 1947 speech proved his secular
credentials, saying "a man should not be judged by one
sentence or a single action. His life and beliefs have to be
taken in totality."


4. (U) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP),another principal
component of the Sangh Parivar, was equally critical. VHP
leader Ashok Singhal claimed that Advani meant to "deceive
the people of the country," saying that "the Advani era of
the BJP was over." Singhal questioned how Advani could
characterize the day of the Babri Mosque's destruction as the
"saddest in my life," insisting that such an assertion
amounted to a renunciation of Advani's participation in the
Ram Temple movement. "How can a Ram Temple be built in
Ayodhya without bringing down the mosque at the site?" he
asked. Another VHP leader, Pravin Togadia, was more adamant,
stating "Jinnah was a traitor, is a traitor and will remain a
traitor. A person glorifying him is also a traitor." In
Advani's Gujarat constituency, the VHP led demonstrations
condemning him for alleged "anti-Hindu" remarks, and called
for him to resign from Parliament, as he had "lost the
confidence of the 900 million Hindus of India."

Moderates are Not so Sure
--------------


5. (U) In a reflection of the deep and growing cleavages
between the Sangh Parivar and other, more moderate, members
of the BJP, former party President Venkaiah Naidu rejected
calls for Advani's resignation stating "There is no question
of seeking LK Advani's resignation. We will discuss the
issue with him when he returns." The pro-BJP "Pioneer"
praised Advani, characterizing the visit as "a milestone on
the road to Peace," and that his willingness to pay a
personal visit to Pakistan "sums up, more than a thousand
rhetorical statements, the new desire for peace in the two
countries. The newspaper's editors lauded Advani for
recognizing that "there has been a sea change in the climate
in Pakistan," which is "tending to move towards religious
tolerance and pluralism - and away from Islamist
fundamentalism."

Comment
--------------


6. (C) The Advani visit demonstrated that the wide cleavages
dividing the Hindutva and non-Hindutva components of the BJP
are becoming increasingly insurmountable. The RSS and VHP
have called for Advani's resignation and his replacement by a
"younger" (read more hard-line) leader. Advani's embrace of
a more pragmatic approach to Pakistan reflects the growing
realization that the old Hindutva ideology must be set aside
if the party hopes to return to power. Advani knows he can
not realize his dream of becoming India's next Prime Minister
without distancing himself from his past and has chosen to do
so in a dramatic fashion. The Sangh Parivar will now try
intensify its drive to replace Advani, signifying a growing
battle for the heart and soul of the BJP.
BLAKE