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Advani quits BJP leadership over Jinnah praising

PALLAB BHATTACHARYA, New Delhi
In a dramatic development, India's top opposition leader L K Advani resigned yesterday as BJP chief, plunging the party into a crisis after drawing fire for praising Pakistan's founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
His resignation came after Hindu nationalist allies RSS and VHP demanded that he withdraw his controversial statements made in Pakistan recently praising Jinnah as a secular leader and describing Babri Mosque demolition as the "saddest" day of his life.
"Many persons find a place in history, but there are very few who actually make history. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was one such rare personality," Advani had said in his remarks.
But his description of Jinnah as a "secular" leader created huge controversy back in India during his Pakistan visit. Hindu nationalist groups close to the BJP and the ruling Congress Party have led the street protests against his comments.
L K Advani
In a letter to BJP general secretary Sanjay Joshi written in Karachi just before returning from his weeklong visit to Pakistan where he was born, Advani said "I have requested the party to relieve me of the post of party president."
"I am sure acceding to my request would be in the best interest of the great cause I have served all my life as also of the party which has given me so much," Advani said.
Sticking to his remarks in Pakistan, which had angered the
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RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad top brass, he said he has not said anything in Pakistan which needs to be retracted or reviewed.
Advani, born in Sindh province of Pakistan, had gone on a nostalgic trip with his wife, son Jayant and daughter Pratibha to Pakistan where he visited the structure, which was once his family home. He had his school education in Karachi.
The resignation decision came a day after the Sangh Parivar fountainhead RSS demanded that the BJP president "review" the statements made in Pakistan, especially about Jinnah, seen by many as the proponent of two-nation theory based on religion, went against the fundamental ideological posturing of RSS.
RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said there was no question of compromising with basic ideological issues of the Sangh Parivar and ruled out apology from Advani would be enough to sort out the problem.
After returning from Pakistan on Monday Advani called Sanjay Joshi, RSS pointman in BJP, to his residence last morning and handed him over a letter announcing his resignation as party chief.
Soon after Advani shot off his resignation letter, senior BJP leaders rushed to his residence to persuade him to withdraw his resignation. RSS also had asked the BJP chief to withdraw his statements, which he refused to do.
Earlier in the day, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee endorsed Advani's comments about Jinnah.
"Advani's comments have created a lot of misunderstanding. Advani was talking about a Jinnah who fought for independence. Jinnah was a nationalist. He made no discrimination on the basis of religion," Vajpayee said.
Senior Congress leaders like Sarojini Naidu had also made similar remarks about Jinnah who had played an important role in the freedom struggle, Vajpayee told reporters.
The most vocal against Advani's remarks about Jinnah and Babri Mosque demolition was VHP whose general secretary Pravin Togadia
even accused Advani of being a "traitor" and asked him to apologise or quit as BJP chief.