Photo: Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times
New Delhi: Veteran BJP leader L K Advani, who created a flutter yesterday with his apprehensions of Emergency again in India, today clarified that it was not aimed at any individual but said he was against “one-man shows” in political parties and asked leaders to be modest like Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Clarifying his controversial remarks on Emergency, Advani said, “I did not mean any individual when I made that statement. I am opposed to all kinds of dictatorships.”
“Arrogance breeds authoritarianism.It is very sad. Today’s leaders should be modest like Vajpayee,” Advani told Aaj Tak, according to a statement by the channel.
Asked if he feels that a dictatorial trend in political leadership has emerged, Advani said, “I have always been against this one man shows in political parties.”
He said, “Vajpayee was a tall leader with successful record but I never heard someone at that time saying Vajpayee is India and India is Vajpayee.”
In another interview to India Today, Advani also said, “anyone who comes to power doesn’t want to lose it” and warned that the voter will teach a lesson to anyone who “abuses power”.
He also said that the best safeguard against mischief is the voter.
“Right,” he said when asked whether the Indian voter will teach a lesson to any politician who may have delusions of power or a desire to abuse his power.
The BJP patriarch said Emergency cannot be imposed in India for a second time easily but added a word of caution that “those who have power or those who are likely to be in power, their susceptibility would always be greater”.
“Anyone who comes to power doesn’t want to lose it, just as anyone who gets money does not want to lose it,” he said.
Referring to his remarks to the Indian Express where he said that, “at present, the forces that can crush democracy are stronger” was made against the backdrop of the present context, the BJP patriarch sought to dismiss any speculation.
“I do not know whether I used stronger. I simply said strong….what surprises me and what distresses me is that those who have imposed such a drastic Emergency in the country do not have any sense of guilt for that. It is this that distresses me,” he said.
(PTI)
