BJP leader LK Advani will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced today in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Capping a parliamentary career of nearly three decades, Mr Advani was first the Home Minister and later, the Deputy Prime Minister in the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet from 1999 to 2004.
Mr Advani has labelled himself the “charioteer” who steered the ‘rath yatra’ that began in Gujarat’s Somnath on September 25, 1990, and culminated with the demolition of the Babri masjid on December 6, 1992. He returned to Ayodhya on January 22 to see PM Modi, then his aide, headline the Ram temple consecration ceremony.
Here’s a timeline of key events in Mr Advani’s career and personal life, per his profile on the BJP’s website:
November 8, 1927: LK Advani born in Karachi, in present day Pakistan, to parents Kishenchand and Gyanidevi Advani.
1936 -1942: Studied at St Patrick’s School, Karachi, standing first in every Class until matriculation.
1942: Joined RSS as swayamsevak.
1942: Joined Dayaram Gidumal National College, Hyderabad, during the Quit India movement.
1944: Held a job as a teacher in Model High School, Karachi.
September 1947: Left Sindh, came to Delhi during Partition.
1947-1951: Organised RSS work in Alwar, Bharatpur, Kota, Bundi, and Jhalawar as RSS secretary of Karachi branch.
1957: Shifted to Delhi to assist Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
1958-63: Secretary of Delhi State Jana Sangh.
1960-1967: Joined Organiser, Jana Sangh’s political journal, as assistant editor.
February 1965: Married Kamla Advani, with whom he has two children, Pratibha and Jayant.
April 1970: Entered Rajya Sabha.
December 1972: Elected Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) president.
June 1975: Arrested in Bengaluru (then Bangalore) during Emergency, taken to Bangalore Central Jail with other BJS members.
March 1977 to July 1979: Held position of Information and Broadcasting Minister.
1980-86: Held position of BJP general secretary.
May 1986: Made BJP president.
March 1988: Re-elected BJP president.
1988: Held position of Home Minister in BJP government.
1990: Began Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya.
1997: Began Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra to celebrate Golden Jubilee of India’s Independence.
October 1999-May 2004: Home Minister
June 2002-May 2004: Deputy Prime Minister
