Lal Saffron

Lal Krishna Advani's formal resignation from politics in December will mark an end to an era in India's politics. He had gained notoriety for actively and explicitly intermingling religion with politics. His alleged hand in the Ramjanbhoomi-Babri Masjid crisis and then his spectacular u-turn to dub Muhammad Ali Jinnah as secular, were controversial to say the least. However, his initial endeavours in making All India Radio and Doordarshan autonomous under the Prasar Bharati Corporation were commendable. He and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have thus far been able to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party under a single fold. One wonders whether the BJP will actually disintegrate once he resigns.