IBNLive Chat: Advani's book, his last die to become PM

MY AIM: LK Advani is BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the next General Elections.

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Bhupendra Chaubey: It is not the book, but it’s Advani’s perception on the minds of people. The delicious dilemma is that over the last two years he has actually invited the wrath of hardliners within the Sangh Parivar. Now he has the hardliners as well as the moderates with him.

Peekay: After a certain age, one becomes less productive at work and needs more rest. Why does this apply to our politicians?

Bhupendra Chaubey: Advani is one of the fittest 80-year-old politicians you will ever meet. I agree with one half of your statement that the youth must be encouraged, but I don’t think age has anything to do with productivity. Half of our cabinet is over the age of 60. The country is being managed.

Jay: Do you think the timing of release of the book is well thought of?

Bhupendra Chaubey: Advani wrote the book while still being an active politician. This was his proverbial final die, his trump card. There is nothing wrong with the timing.

Shivarama Krishnan: If becoming Prime Minister was Advani's ambition were all his previous deeds, whether good or bad, targeted towards achieving that ambition?

Bhupendra Chaubey: In politics you must always aspire for the top job, nothing wrong with that. He has spent his whole life creating new ideas. I think the book is also his attempt to create another idea.

Prashantha GK: Why is the medias are against Advani?

Bhupendra Chaubey: I must admit that the media has really given a tough time to Advani. But the beauty of the man is that he is open to criticism. You can’t criticise the Congress president though.

Arvind Singh Dotiyal: Is Advani's book a genuine piece of autobiography or mere a way to be in limelight?

Bhupendra Chaubey: Genuine autobiography with one eye on better brand building. He doesn’t need publicity—he needs to send the right kind of message.

David Mende: Don’t you think that no matter how hard Advani tries to pretend through a book or any other means, everyone knows that he is a Hindu hardliner? Will an average Hindu accept his concept of Hindu nationalism?

Bhupendra Chaubey: I recently read a report which suggested that young people are more prone to being religious. So you never know. I also don’t think that Advani is just a simple hardliner leader. He has broken quite a few myths about himself. That’s for sure.

Vishwanath: What do you think, will LK Advani become the PM ever?

Bhupendra Chaubey: Difficult but not impossible. Depends on whether they can get their coalition arithmetic right.

Adhitya: Do you subscribe do Advani’s brand of leadership and management?

Bhupendra Chaubey: Advani has been one of the foremost leaders when it comes to political management. No doubt about that. He along with Vajpayee has built the BJP. But unlike Vajpayee who revelled in charm, Advani is almost professorial in his approach.

KR: Does this book in anyway help Advani gaining wider acceptance across various sectors of the society or do his hardliner image too hard and old to be broken?

Bhupendra Chaubey: I think the hardliner or the hawkish image has ceased to be a factor in our polity. People are now not voting on the basis of religion or identity. Anyways the days of single-party rule are over and it’s a coalition that has to rule. By that logic, he has already proved his acceptance amongst various parties and hence different sections of society.

John Kottoor: Do you think Advani, with his ideology and image of being a Hindutva leader, gain political momentum? He might not go well in the vast majority of the Indian states.