The current perception reveals that L K Advani is neither the BJP’s patriarch nor its tallest leader. Advani has forfeited those honorifics by his petulant opposition to Gujarat Chief Minister Modi’s nomination as BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate. Advani’s personal ambitions for 2014 are outweighing the widespread BJP cadre support and the mood of the nation that wants a decisive leader like Narendra Modi to be India’s next Prime Minister. The BJP is losing valuable time and political capital by delaying the announcement on Modi in a bid to mollify Advani and bring him on board.

The harsh political reality is that Advani does not seem to be in a mood to relent as that would lead to his political eclipse. After BJPs defeat in the 2009 General Elections in which Advani was projected as the Prime Minister, I had written in this Column that the BJPs senior most leaders should gracefully retire from BJPs active politicking and form part of an Advisory Council and act as political mentors.

Advani refuses to recognize that the BJP gave him a chance to make a bid for India’s Prime Ministership and he failed to enthuse the Indian public to vote him and the BJP into power.

In marked contrast Narendra Modi has caught the imagination of the people of India who all want that India should be led by a bold and decisive Prime Minister and Modi in their opinion is adequately suited for that role.

Then why is Advani and his close associates like Sushma Swaraj or even MM Joshi are opposing Modi being named as BJPs candidate for Prime Minister? Advani’s argument is that this should await the Assembly Elections results later this year. What is the connection?

State Assembly election results are in no case a referendum on Modi’s candidature as Prime Minister. Nor can a third time win by Advani’s favorite Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan equate him statistically with Narendra Modi. Chauhan has not fired the imagination of the people of India as BJPs next Prime Minister in 2014.

The Advani era should be considered as closed and the BJP without any further delay should announce Narendra Modi ass BJPs choice of Prime Minister. Advani’s proxy war against Modi earlier through JD(U) and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and now through within the BJP should be ruthlessly stamped out.
Today, Advani by his dubious politicking against Narendra Modi has not only politically diminished his own political stature but also that of the BJP where political opponents are labeling the BJP as a divided party.

The BJP needs to call Advani’s political bluff. Let Advani resign from the BJP or walk out of the party with his close associates to form another political party.