A Real Leader in Action

[Guest guest]

>OFBJP Admin

>vaidika1008 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com >[bJP News]: Advani sets a sterling

example >Fri, 2 Feb 2001 17:05:56 -0500 > >Title: Advani sets a sterling

example >Author: Deepak Sharma/Gandhidham >Publication: The Pioneer >Feb.

3, 2001 > > He did not utter a word against anybody. But he realised what had

gone wrong and what had to be done. Unprecedented > destruction needs

unprecedented attention. No wonder he rushed to Gujarat for the third time

within five days after the > quake rocked the State. > > But practice what you

preach. And his message was straight and simple to those who are spending

nights in five star hotels > while assessing the situation in Gujarat's

disaster zone. The first to react was none other than Chief Minister Keshubhai

> Patel, who finally camped in Bhuj. > > Spending two days in a tent and eating

the same food served to the jawans, 73-year-old Union Home Minister L K Advani >

kept on moving from one site to other, to move the wheels of excavators in the

quake-hit areas of Kutch. Mr Advani first > spoke to the people of Bhachau,

Ratnal, Adipur and Gandhidham and later summoned Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel

to > his camp in the tents. He turned the heat on the top bureaucrats and geared

up the para military to deliver results. > > "Patelji, samay barbad na ho. Yahan

par aap turant crane bheje. Kambal ki itni zaroorat nahin hae, pehle tents ka

intazam > ho," Mr Advani told the Chief Minister in front of a motley crowd of

survivors. From the site of debris to interiors in the > Kutch he even walked

to the Government hospitals and enquired, "Where are the sarkari doctors. What

about the staff?" > > With communication lines snapped, Mr Advani operated from

a mobile phone and kept on calling officials and Ministers > one by one. "Set up

more control rooms and rush senior officials to tehsils in the disaster areas,"

he instructed a top > official. At Kandla port he went inside the ships to see

what the naval doctors are doing. "How many major surgeries have > you done in

two days. What about seriously injured patients," he asked Commodore Aspi

Bhaskar. > > At Bhuj, he went inside the Israeli medical camp. "I am obliged

that you all are working round the clock," he told Dr Ibit, > the leader of the

160-member team of Israel Army Medical Services. Within a few minutes he was

talking to District > Collector Kamal Dayani, "How long will it take to clear

the debris. What more help you need. I feel you need more tents," > Advani told

him. > > Once in Gandhidham, he mingled with the crowd and spoke to the natives

of Kutch in their language, "Do not worry. I > firmly believe that we will

together rebuild Kutch. We can do it. We have done it in Morbi and Surat," he

tried to inspire > confidence among the residents who seemed to have lost all

hope. "Purshottamji aap in sabhi ki baat suniye aur yahin > rahen. Aur yahan

par Bakshish Singh (IG/BSF) hae, jo bhi ho sakega yeh aap ke liye karenge." he

assured the people. > > But the scene was a bit different in Adipur. The Home

Minister appeared to be emotionally charged when he visited the > quake-hit (in

Adipur) where his father had lived for more than four decades. For a while

Advani remained silent, as his > distant relatives and erstwhile neighbours

flocked to him. > > The Advanis, after migrating from Karachi had settled in

Adipur. In one of the damaged house he simply walked inside a > room and hugged

a 87-year-old man lying on a bed. He was friend of his father. "Have faith. We

will rebuild Kutch, better > than ever," Mr Advani said, as tears were about to

roll from old man's eyes. Mr Advani just smiled firmly holding the > hands of

the man on bed.

>---- >

http://www.ofbjp.org

>---- >A

worldwide community of BJP's friends, supporters and activists: >Friends of the

BJP - Worldwide: http://www.ofbjp.org/fob

>---- > > Get

your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com