Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra to bring change in the system

Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra to bring change in the system

Launching his "Jan Chetna Yatra" against corruption and Black Money, that would traverse across the country from October 11, 2011 to November 20. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani claimed the yatra would bring in a transformation in the existing system on the lines of the JP movement in 1974. He said there was all possibility of the NDA getting a chance to form the next government at the Centre, but remained non-committal on whether he was still in the race for prime ministership. 

"At present, the elections are not so near. The party will decide as to who will be its prime ministerial candidate when the elections come," he said when asked on the issue, clarifying that even in 2009 elections he had not declared his candidature for prime ministership. 

"There is a possibility of early polls under the present situation because of corruption and black money," he said.

Offering tributes to Lok Nayak Jay Prakash Narayan, popularly referred to JP, at his birthplace at Sitabdiara on his birth anniversary, Mr Advani said, inspired by the ideologies of JP, who was instrumental in bringing a change in the guard, he had decided to kick start the rath yatra from here to launch his campaign against corruption and to demand that the Government take steps to bring back black money stashed in illegal bank accounts abroad.

Advani said people were imputing motives now on the purpose of his yatra. "It is not possible for people to imagine that someone can take out a nation-wide yatra on the issue of corruption."

Advani's six yatras in 21 years

From Somnath in 1990 to Sitab Diara in 2011

BJP leader LK Advani, accompanied by his daughter Pratibha Advani and other party leaders including Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, on Tuesday visited the ancestral house of late Jai Prakash Narayan and garlanded his statue.

They then arrived at the Gandhi Maidan, from where Advani's Jan Chetna Yatra was to roll out, paid tribute to the departed Lok Nayak.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister S.K Modi (BJP), also reached Sitabdiara.

Hitting out at the Congress-led UPA Government over absence of leadership leading to scams and price rise, the veteran leader said, “The mood in India today is one of anger about the quality of politics and governance. This anger has grown on account of inadequacy of leadership provided by the Central Government.”

The Jan Chetana Yatra will be Advani’s sixth for his party in the last 21 years. Let's have a look at his yatras and their motto:

1. Ram Rath Yatra (From Somnath to Ayodhya)
25 September 1990

The Ram Rath Yatra began from Somnath on September 25, 1990, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's birth anniversary, and was supposed to culminate at Ayodhya on October 30, after traversing 10,000 km.

Advani was arrested in Samastipur by then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav before he could reach Ayodhya.

Ram Rath Yatra's aim was to raise three fundamental questions:

•What is secularism? What is communalism? 
•Can national integration be achieved by constantly pandering to minority communalism? 
•Cannot Government reject the cult of minorityism?

Late Pramod Mahajan was behind the idea to redesign a mini-bus as a rath for Advani's Ram Rath Yatra in 1990.

2. Janadesh Yatra (Four-pronged yatra began from different places and ended in Bhopal)
11 September 1993

Advani took the lead in mobilising public opinion and planned a four-pronged yatra led by senior leaders of the party. Thus was born the Janadesh Yatra with the purpose of seeking the people's mandate against the two Bills - the Constitution 80th Amendment Bill and the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill.

The BJP stalled the Bills in Parliament and the debate was deferred, although the Bills were not withdrawn. Then, Advani planned a four-pronged yatra to seek the people’s mandate against the two Bills.

The four yatras began on 11 September 1993 from four corners of the country. Advani led the yatra from Mysore, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat from Jammu, Murli Manohar Joshi from Porbandar and Kalyan Singh from Kolkata.

Travelling through 14 States and two Union Territories, the yatris congregated at Bhopal on 25 September in a massive rally.

3. Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra (To celebrate 50 years of India’s independence)
18 May 1997

In 1997, when India competed 50 years of India's independence, the BJP decided to pay homage to all the heroes and martyrs of the freedom struggle by visiting different places associated with them across the country.

It was Advani's brainchild and he thought the yatra would help him strengthen his own position and the BJP’s nationalist ideas.

The yatra took place in four continuous phases in 59 days through as many as 21 states across the country.

4. Bharat Uday Yatra (India Shining campaign)
(From Kanyakumari and Amritsar and from Rajkot to Jagannath Puri)
10 March 2004

The Lok sabha poll-oriented road campaign took place in March-April 2004. The much-hyped yatra was flagged off in Kanyakumari on 10 March and reached Amritsar on 25 March. Five days later, it resumed from Rajkot and culminated at Jagannath Puri on 14 April.

The ‘India Shining’ and ‘Feel Good Factor’ campaigns came in for a lot of criticism after NDA's defeat in Lok Sabha polls.

5. Bharat Suraksha Yatra (Against UPA govt's policies against terrorism) 
6 April 2006

The yatra was split into two campaigns, the first one was led by Advani from Dwaraka to Delhi and the other one led by Rajnath Singh from Jagannath Puri to Delhi.

6. Jan Chetna Yatra (From Sitab Diara in Bihar to Delhi)
October 11, 2011

Advani begun his 38-day 'Jan Chetna Yatra' from Jai Prakash Narayan's birthplace Sitabdiara in Saran district on Oct 11. The 84-year-old BJP leader plans to cover around 300 km a day in his modified 'rath' during his 12,000-km anti-corruption yatra.

His yatra aims at creating public awareness against corruption and black money.

Hitting out at the Congress-led UPA Government over absence of leadership leading to scams and price rise, the veteran leader said, “The mood in India today is one of anger about the quality of politics and governance. This anger has grown on account of inadequacy of leadership provided by the Central Government.”

Advani said that his yatra would mobilise people against corruption. “Corruption is eroding faith in democracy and governance.   Time not to change the system, not just the government,” he added.

The rally will head to Uttar Pradesh and will end at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. It would cover 23 states within a span of 38 days before ending on November 20.