Advani’s views on Jinnah not those of BJP: Govindacharya

Stepping up his attack on L.K. Advani, former BJP ideologue K.N. Govindacharya today accused him of glossing over Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s...

Stepping up his attack on L.K. Advani, former BJP ideologue K.N. Govindacharya today accused him of glossing over Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s role in partition and contested the “endorsement” of his stance by the parliamentary board.

The former BJP leader, however, refused to comment on the party’s leadership issue saying it was the internal affair of the party.

At a press conference here, he said Advani’s “pre-determined” comments on Jinnah and on the Ayodhya issue were an attempt by him to become a moderate to grab power. He added that he would not succeed in it because of his past in leading the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

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Announcing the launch of a movement on the issue, Govindacharya maintained that Advani’s “personal views” on Jinnah and negation of the akhand bharat concept had not been ratified by BJP as it required endorsement by the party’s national council and not the parliamentary board.

“On such fundamental issues, parliamentary board or working committee cannot decide… call the national council, place your opinion and get it endorsed by it,” he said.

He also attacked Advani for “going out of the way” to make comments on Babri Masjid demolition. He alleged that Advani had a “myopic mindset” in politics and equated him to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and who had earlier said that “borders cannot be redrawn”.