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Advani turns seventy-six

     New Delhi: Leader of Opposition and BJP president LK Advani turned 76 today. Party leaders and supporters gathered at his Shahjehan Road residence in the heart of the capital to felicitate him on the occasion. Bouquets of flowers were also received at the Advani residence on behalf of the President, APJ Abdul Kalam and the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, besides a cross-section of politicians. Born on November 8, 1929 in Karachi, Advani did his schooling at St.Patrick's in Karachi. He later graduated in Law from Bombay University. Though not a practising lawyer, he argued on behalf of his party in 1974 before the Supreme Court in the Presidential reference whether election to the post of President could be held when the Gujarat Assembly was dissolved. Known for his sophistication and culture, Advani leads a modest life style. Recently when an interviewer asked what is his most precious possession was, Advani replied, " My collection of books."

     When the Indian subcontinent was partitioned in 1947, Advani was the RSS organiser in Karachi City. After partition, Advani played a leading role in setting up the RSS network in Rajasthan. When Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji founded Jan Sangh in 1951, Advani became its Rajasthan State Secretary and continued there till 1957 before he moved to Delhi to become the Delhi Jan Sangh Secretary and Secretary of the Jana Sangh Parliamentary Group. From 1970 to 1989 he was a Member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1989 and again in 1991 he was elected to Lok Sabha. In 1991, he was also appointed the Leader of Opposition. He was elected the President of the Jana Sangh in 1973 and continued in that post till 1977, before he was appointed Information and Broacasting Minister in the Janata Government. The BJP was launched in 1980 and for the next six years he held the post of General Secretary. In 1986, he became the All India President, a post that he held till January 1991. He was the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. He was again elected the President of the BJP last year. After his controversial trip to Pakistan in June this year, which created a lot of heartburn in the RSS, the BJP and the VHP, Advani has announced plans to give up the post of BJP President after the party's national executive meets in Mumbai in December.