Advani’s first reaction after being denied Lok Sabha ticket: 'Nation first, party second, self last'

Days after being dropped from his Lok Sabha seat by the BJP, party patriarch L K Advani on Thursday wrote a blog ahead of the BJP’s Foundation Day on April 6.

Advani said that the guiding principle of his life has been ‘Nation First, Party Second, Self Last’. “And in all situations, I have tried to adhere to this principle and will continue to do so,” he added.

Writing about the party’s ideology, Advani said that the BJP has “never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our enemies, but only as our adversaries”.

Similarly, in our conception of Indian nationalism, we have never regarded those who disagree with us politically as “anti-national”, he added.

"BJP has always been in the forefront of demanding protection of independence, integrity, fairness and robustness of all our democratic institutions, including the media," the veteran BJP leader wrote in his blog. 

He said the party has always kept on focus electoral reforms, particularly political funding, to ensure a "corruption-free polity". 

Advani also thanked the people of Gandhinagar for electing him to the Lok Sabha six times since 1991. 

Advani, 91, who has served as Union home minister and deputy prime minister, has won from Gandhinagar six times.

Credited for orchestrating the BJP's rise to a pre-eminent position in the late 80s and 90s along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee after it won only two Lok Sabha seats in 1984.

Advani was moved out of the BJP's highest decision-making body, Parliamentary Board, in 2014 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the party to victory and Shah was made its president.

He was made a member of Margdarshak Mandal (group of mentors), a body which has never met.

He did not make any representation to stake claim for Gandhinagar seat before the BJP observers.

The BJP veteran won from Gandhinagar for the first time in 1991, and retained the constituency in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014.

In 1996 he did not contest, citing the Babri Masjid demolition case against him.