US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI4232

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 004232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, IN, PK, Indian Domestic Politics 
SUBJECT: ADVANI'S DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE IN PAKISTAN PROVOKES 
DEEP DIVISION IN THE BJP 
 
 
Classified By: Charge Bob Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: During his landmark May 30-June 6 trip to 
Pakistan, Opposition Leader LK  Advani renounced his former 
antagonism towards Pakistan and its founder Mohammad Ali 
Jinnah, lauding him as a secular "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim 
unity."  Advani's public recognition of Pakistani sovereignty 
and rejection of the RSS insistence of a "united India" that 
would reabsorb Pakistan and Bangladesh, and his 
characterization of the destruction of the Babri Mosque as 
"the saddest day in my life," signified a clear break with 
his earlier Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) ideology.  The 
dramatic visit outraged Advani's former supporters in the 
Sangh Parivar (Hindu family of organizations), who called him 
a "traitor to India's Hindus," and called for his resignation 
from Parliament.  The Sangh Parivar serves as the bedrock of 
the BJP, and will now intensify its call for Advani's removal 
as party president, setting off yet more conflict within an 
already deeply divided party.  End Summary. 
 
A Kindler, Gentler Advani 
------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) BJP Party President LK Advani's May 30-June 6 trip to 
Pakistan was a spectacular break with his past.  His first 
visit there in 27 years has attracted considerable attention 
in both countries because of his dramatic statements on 
issues that have long concerned the RSS and other Hindutva 
organizations which form the backbone of the BJP.  The Indian 
press prominently covered Advani,s public statements and 
activities as he seemed to repudiate his earlier hard-line 
image and reach out to the Pakistani people.  The news which 
provoked the strongest commentary in India were as follows: 
 
-- During a June 2 speech at a South Asia Free Media 
Association (a prominent Track-2 NGO) event in Lahore, Advani 
acknowledged Pakistan as a separate, sovereign, and 
independent nation.  This signaled his acceptance of the 
two-nation theory and repudiation of the RSS declaration of 
"Akhand Bharat" (United India) that rejects the creation of 
Pakistan and Bangladesh and calls for their reabsorption into 
a "greater India."  Any recognition of Pakistan's legitimacy 
is anathema to Hindutva ideology; 
 
-- Reinforcing this message on June 6, Advani became the 
first Indian leader to pay his respects at the mausoleum of 
Pakistan,s Founding Father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and visited 
a former Jinnah family home in Karachi that is now a museum; 
 
-- In public statements during the trip, Advani publicly 
referred to Jinnah as an "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity," 
a phrase originally coined by former Congress Party President 
Sarojini Naidu before Jinnah left the Congress Party to press 
for an independent Pakistan; 
 
-- Advani called Jinnah a "secular leader," quoting at length 
from his August 11, 1947 speech that included the line: "You 
may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has 
nothing to do with the business of the state;" 
 
-- Advani reportedly also emphasized the close cultural and 
personal ties between Indians and Pakistanis, by adding that 
"There is a little bit of India in every Pakistani, and a 
little bit of Pakistan in every Indian;" 
 
-- He described the December 6, 1992 destruction of the Babri 
Masjid as "the saddest day of my life;" and 
 
-- The Opposition Leader laid a foundation stone for the 
restoration of what could be the oldest Hindu temple in 
Pakistan, and invited Pakistan President Musharraf to do 
likewise at an Indian mosque. 
 
A Traitor to Hindutva 
--------------------- 
 
3.  (U) Advani's behavior set off a firestorm of criticism by 
his erstwhile friends and allies within the Sangh Parivar 
(family of Hindu organizations).  RSS spokesman Ram Madhav 
denounced his statements in Pakistan, saying "What Advaniji 
said in Karachi and earlier was not in line with RSS 
thinking.  The cadre is unhappy and confused, and the people 
are angry."  Madhav reiterated that in the view of the RSS, 
Jinnah is blamed as one of the principal architects of the 
break-up of India.  He also rejected Advani's assertion that 
Jinnah's August 11, 1947 speech proved his secular 
credentials, saying "a man should not be judged by one 
sentence or a single action.  His life and beliefs have to be 
taken in totality." 
 
4.  (U) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), another principal 
component of the Sangh Parivar, was equally critical.  VHP 
leader Ashok Singhal claimed that Advani meant to "deceive 
the people of the country," saying that "the Advani era of 
the BJP was over."  Singhal questioned how Advani could 
characterize the day of the Babri Mosque's destruction as the 
"saddest in my life," insisting that such an assertion 
amounted to a renunciation of Advani's participation in the 
Ram Temple movement.  "How can a Ram Temple be built in 
Ayodhya without bringing down the mosque at the site?" he 
asked.  Another VHP leader, Pravin Togadia, was more adamant, 
stating "Jinnah was a traitor, is a traitor and will remain a 
traitor.  A person glorifying him is also a traitor."  In 
Advani's Gujarat constituency, the VHP led demonstrations 
condemning him for alleged "anti-Hindu" remarks, and called 
for him to resign from Parliament, as he had "lost the 
confidence of the 900 million Hindus of India." 
 
Moderates are Not so Sure 
------------------------- 
 
5.  (U) In a reflection of the deep and growing cleavages 
between the Sangh Parivar and other, more moderate, members 
of the BJP, former party President Venkaiah Naidu rejected 
calls for Advani's resignation stating "There is no question 
of seeking LK Advani's resignation.  We will discuss the 
issue with him when he returns."  The pro-BJP "Pioneer" 
praised Advani, characterizing the visit as "a milestone on 
the road to Peace," and that his willingness to pay a 
personal visit to Pakistan "sums up, more than a thousand 
rhetorical statements, the new desire for peace in the two 
countries.  The newspaper's editors lauded Advani for 
recognizing that "there has been a sea change in the climate 
in Pakistan," which is "tending to move towards religious 
tolerance and pluralism - and away from Islamist 
fundamentalism." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
6.  (C) The Advani visit demonstrated that the wide cleavages 
dividing the Hindutva and non-Hindutva components of the BJP 
are becoming increasingly insurmountable.  The RSS and VHP 
have called for Advani's resignation and his replacement by a 
"younger" (read more hard-line) leader.  Advani's embrace of 
a more pragmatic approach to Pakistan reflects the growing 
realization that the old Hindutva ideology must be set aside 
if the party hopes to return to power.  Advani knows he can 
not realize his dream of becoming India's next Prime Minister 
without distancing himself from his past and has chosen to do 
so in a dramatic fashion.  The Sangh Parivar will now try 
intensify its drive to replace Advani, signifying a growing 
battle for the heart and soul of the BJP. 
BLAKE