FM Sitharaman shares PM Modi's tribute to Advani at 99
Synopsis
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared PM Narendra Modi's tribute article honouring Bharat Ratna L.K. Advani as he enters his 100th year, recalling his journey from RSS pracharak in Rajasthan to decades of partnership with Atal Bihari Vajpayee that shaped modern Indian politics.
Key Takeaways
Advani has entered his 100th year , prompting a tribute article from Prime Minister Narendra Modi published on his official website.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared an excerpt from Modi's article on 8 November 2026 , amplifying the tribute across the BJP's leadership.
Modi recalls Advani's start as an RSS pracharak in Rajasthan and his subsequent move to Delhi , where his partnership with Atal Bihari Vajpayee began.
The Prime Minister describes the Advani–Vajpayee collaboration as 'history', noting they worked 'shoulder to shoulder for decades', with Vajpayee remaining Advani's 'leader and guide'.
The Government of India awarded Advani the Bharat Ratna in 2024 , the country's highest civilian honour.
A century of life — almost. As Bharat Ratna L.K. Advani steps into his 100th year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has penned a tribute honouring the veteran leader's journey from a young RSS volunteer in Rajasthan to one of independent India's most consequential political figures. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared an excerpt from the Prime Minister's article on Sunday, 8 November 2026, amplifying the salute across the BJP's senior ranks.
Sitharaman quoted directly from Modi's piece: 'आडवाणी जी को जो भी जिम्मेदारी मिली, उन्होंने उसे पूरी निष्ठा और लगन से निभाया' — 'Whatever responsibility Advani Ji was given, he discharged it with complete dedication and devotion.' The Prime Minister's article, published on his personal website, traces Advani's arc from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak in Rajasthan to Delhi, where the defining partnership of his life was waiting.
From Rajasthan's villages to Delhi — and into history
Modi's tribute highlights that Advani first worked across various regions of Rajasthan as an RSS pracharak before relocating to Delhi. It was there that the alliance with Atal Bihari Vajpayee took root — a partnership the Prime Minister describes simply as 'history'. The two men, Modi writes, 'worked shoulder to shoulder for decades', with Vajpayee always remaining Advani's leader and guide.
That bond shaped an entire era of Indian politics. Together, Advani and Vajpayee steered the Bharatiya Janata Party from its origins in the Jan Sangh movement to a force that formed the first stable non-Congress government at the Centre. Advani served as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister during the Vajpayee years, and his organisational rigour was widely credited as the structural spine of the party's national expansion.
Bharat Ratna and a centenary year
The tribute arrives in the shadow of a landmark honour. In 2024, the Government of India conferred the Bharat Ratna — the country's highest civilian award — on Advani, acknowledging a lifetime of public service. His entry into his 100th year makes this moment doubly significant: few leaders in Indian democracy have been active witnesses to as long a sweep of the republic's history.
Sitharaman's decision to share the excerpt — alongside a link to the full article — signals the occasion's weight within the party. It reinforces a consistent BJP practice of publicly celebrating its founding generation and the RSS roots that the leadership regards as the ideological bedrock of the movement.
Modi's full article is available in Hindi on his official website. As Advani's centenary year unfolds, further commemorative tributes and events from across the political spectrum are expected to follow — a living reminder that some careers are long enough to become institutions.
Point of View
Publicly honouring that lineage serves both a sentimental and a strategic purpose: it anchors the party's present identity in a long, unbroken arc of ideological continuity. That Sitharaman — a senior economic minister — amplified the message signals cross-cabinet solidarity around the gesture. The timing, as Advani enters his centenary year, also sets the stage for a sustained commemorative calendar that will keep the founding generation's legacy visible.
NationPress
8 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is LK Advani in the news in November 2026?
L.K. Advani is in the news because he has entered his 100th year of life, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to write a tribute article about his political journey, which was shared widely by BJP leaders including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
What did PM Modi write about LK Advani?
PM Modi wrote that Advani discharged every responsibility with complete dedication, began as an RSS pracharak in Rajasthan, later came to Delhi where he worked closely with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and that the two worked shoulder to shoulder for decades, with Vajpayee always remaining Advani's leader and guide.
What is LK Advani's connection to the RSS?
L.K. Advani began his public life as a pracharak — a full-time volunteer — of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, working across various regions of Rajasthan before moving to Delhi, where his political career took shape alongside Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Has LK Advani received the Bharat Ratna?
Yes. The Government of India conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, on L.K. Advani in 2024 in recognition of his decades of public service.
What was the relationship between LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee?
Advani and Vajpayee were close political partners for decades, together steering the BJP from its Jan Sangh origins to national power. As PM Modi's tribute notes, Vajpayee was always Advani's leader and guide, and the two worked 'shoulder to shoulder' throughout their careers.
