Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a tribute to veteran BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, who entered the 100th year of his life on 8 November 2026. Advani was born on 8 November 1927 in Karachi and turned 99 on Sunday, a birthday that this year falls on Diwali. In the article, titled “L.K. Advani Ji: An Inspiring Journey Towards a Century”, Modi looks back at Advani’s political career and at their personal association over several decades. What follows summarises the views expressed in that article.

LK Advani: A Mentor, in Modi’s Words

Modi writes that he has been fortunate to receive Advani’s affection, guidance and mentorship throughout his public life. According to the article, Advani gradually became a father-like figure who guided him through the complexities of politics and stood by him in difficult moments. Even now, Modi says, meeting Advani fills him with fresh energy and inspiration.

From Karachi to India

LK Advani was born in Karachi, then part of undivided India. The Partition of 1947 forced him to leave his home and the life he knew in Sindh, and he had to rebuild in India from scratch. Modi writes that what stands out is that Advani did not let the hardships of Partition turn into bitterness, and carried a determination to rebuild and serve the nation instead. In the article, this resilience is described as a defining trait of his public life, one that helped strengthen the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Building the BJP and Nurturing Leaders

Modi recalls LK Advani’s time as BJP National President, a period of significant change in Indian politics, and points to the BJP’s rise as the single largest party in the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. He credits Advani with nurturing generations of party workers and says two qualities set him apart: intellectual clarity and ideological conviction. According to Modi, Advani’s speeches, writings and arguments showed a gift for putting ideas across precisely, and the article refers to his firm political positions and to his part in debates on secularism. For Advani, Modi writes, putting the nation first stayed central to political organisation and public life.

Vajpayee and LK Advani

The article spends time on the long association between former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani. Modi recalls that the two worked together for decades and supported each other through different political phases. He describes Vajpayee as Advani’s leader and guide, and calls their partnership an example of trust, cooperation and commitment in a field where equations often shift.

The 1991 Elections: Modi’s Memories

Modi shares personal memories of the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, when Advani contested from two constituencies, including Gandhinagar. Modi was then working in the BJP organisation and helped with Advani’s nomination papers and campaign. He also notes Advani’s longstanding link with Gujarat: his father had settled in Kutch after Partition, and Advani represented Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha in 1976. Modi writes that the people of Gandhinagar returned Advani with big majorities, and that, as a voter in that constituency, he too had the chance to vote for him several times. He praises Advani’s attention to the needs of local people.

LK Advani and the Emergency

According to Modi, Advani stood at the forefront of the fight to protect democratic institutions and constitutional values during the Emergency of 1975–1977. Advani’s experiences from that time appear in his book A Prisoner’s Scrap-Book, particularly the section A Tale of Two Emergencies, which draws parallels between events in India after June 1975 and developments in Germany under Hitler’s rule in 1933. After the Janata government was formed in 1977, Advani was given the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Modi says he showed administrative ability alongside political leadership, and that as Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister he helped strengthen India’s internal security framework, with a firm approach to terrorism.

The Somnath-to-Ayodhya Rath Yatra

Modi writes about his own association with the Somnath-to-Ayodhya Rath Yatra, from planning and preparation to its launch at Somnath. He describes it as a huge organisational challenge that demanded physical endurance and sustained commitment, and quotes himself as saying that Advani embodied that endurance. One of the hardest moments, he recalls, was Advani’s arrest in Bihar during the yatra, and he remembers the resolve shown by party workers and senior leaders towards building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He calls the temple’s eventual completion a historic moment that followed years of public mobilisation and effort.

Simplicity, Reading and Sindhi Roots

The tribute also looks beyond politics. Modi highlights LK Advani’s simplicity, discipline, curiosity and love of reading, and says those who have worked closely with him know how carefully he follows the newspapers. Advani also took a keen interest in cinema, theatre and history. His book My Country, My Life gives an account of his experiences, political journey and understanding of Indian history.

His connection with Sindhi culture stayed important too. Modi recalls Advani’s role in popularising the Sindhu Darshan celebrations near Leh, and attending the Sindhu Darshan Puja with Advani and former Defence Minister George Fernandes.

Kamla Advani

Modi says any account of LK Advani’s journey is incomplete without Kamla Advani, his wife, who he writes was a constant source of strength through decades of public responsibility and played an important role behind the scenes.

Bharat Ratna and a Blessing

Modi recalls that the people of India honoured Advani with the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, in 2024. He ends the tribute with a prayer for Advani’s good health, and a Sanskrit blessing.