The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : An image makeover?

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Friday, Jun 10, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

An image makeover?

By praising Jinnah, Mr. Advani has made an effort to rise above the controversial image he has created. As for his expression of regret over the Babri Masjid demolition, he seems to have realised that there is no place for a leader who supports one community and rejects another in a secular arrangement.

Renu Baliyan,
New Delhi

Mr. Advani's description of Jinnah as a secular leader directly contradicts the established stand of the BJP that he was the architect of Partition. The BJP leader also lamented the destruction of the Babri Masjid whereas it was his rath yatra that whipped up the frenzy of the kar sevaks leading to December 6, 1992. Mr. Advani's volte face seems to be because of the compulsions of vote bank politics.

V.V.S. Mani,
Mumbai

Mr. Advani, who undertook the Somnath-Ayodhya rath yatra with the express purpose of mobilising support for a Ram temple exactly where the mosque stood, turned around in Pakistan to say that the day of the Babri Masjid demolition was the "saddest day" of his life. Clearly, he is making an attempt to cultivate a new image of a sober, moderate, reasonable and rational leader.

E. Uma Ashok,
Bagalkot, Karnataka

This is the best time for the BJP to change its image. Mr. Advani wrote the script for its transformation and has so far executed it well. Whether his praise for Jinnah was a planned move or not, his resignation as party president and the no-reconsideration stand speak to his intentions of changing the BJP's image.

Gorantla Chandrakanth,
Hyderabad

The BJP lost the elections in 2004, despite Mr. Advani's many yatras. He has now realised the importance of wooing the minorities and made a beginning in Pakistan.

B. Ram Mohan Reddy,
Hyderabad

The BJP leadership seems to have learnt an important lesson — that to be a mainstream party, it is necessary to have mainstream views.

Arun V. Kamath,
Paravur, Kerala

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