Advani backs unified India idea

BJP leader L K Advani today said he agreed with the concept of unified India mooted by BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and late socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
"Once Dr Lohia and Upadayay had issued a joint statement on the concept of a confederation of India and Pakistan," Advani said while inaugurating the two-day state working committee of Uttar Pradesh BJP.
Advani said that once he had a chance to meet Lohia as a journalist and the latter while emphasising that he was a socialist said he respected nationalist ideology of Bharatiya Jansangh.
According to Advani, Lohia had said his analysis was that Jansangh's concept of unified India is something a common Muslim perceives that if the party comes to power it would attack Pakistan and include it in India.

The BJP leader said Lohia's analysis was "wrong" and he should meet Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
"Then the two leaders had a chance to meet and Lohia repeated the same thing to Panditji (Upadhyay). Deen Dayalji explained to him that a day would come when Muslims in Pakistan will understand that by partition they have not done good to themselves," he said.

"Panditji said that they would realise that it was a historical mistake. At that time, there would be a possibility that India and Pakistan would form a confederation," he added.
Advani said that a few years ago on the birth anniversary of Lohia he had narrated the incident to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The Prime Minister asked me that how much of it is possible now. I replied that it was possible when Panditji said about this, the possibility also increased with the policy adopted by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but with your stand that whatever they do talks would not be interrupted and would continue, then there is no possibility of this," he said.