THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani is expected to go down memory lane at ‘Smrithi Sandhya’ during the mega BJP meet in Kozhikode. The veteran leader had stayed at the West Hill guesthouse in 1967 when Deendayal Upadhyaya was elected the Jan Sangh president. Old timers recall how he learned a valuable lesson on Malayalee's reading habits then. O. Rajagopal MLA, who was the reception committee convenor, has fond memories of Mr Upadhyay's call for Jan Sangh as an alternative to Congress and the ruling communists led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad.
Other veterans who will be relishing fond memories include Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, V. K. Malhotra and K. Raman Pillai. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee too had attended the meet. Mr Rajagopal recollects Mr Advani got the guesthouse, yet to officially open, to stay as the leader of New Delhi city’s Metropolitan Council. “Rest of us were put up at Alakapuri Hotel. Zamorin's High School was the meeting's venue,” he told DC. Mr Advani was asked to take a cycle rickshaw early next morning to the railway station.
“He was travelling to Mangalore. The rickshaw puller was so engrossed in a newspaper. He gestured with his head to take a seat. Once he finished reading, he coolly put it on a rack and only then asked his destination.” He learnt a lesson that day on the Malayali obsession with newspapers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also keen to attend the reunion at 7:45 pm at Calicut Zamorins Higher Secondary School on Sep 24.
