The Bharatiya Janata Party is in the throes of its worst ever crisis over L K Advani's description of Mohammed Ali Jinnah as 'secular', while on a visit to Pakistan.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and allied organisations have virtually disowned Advani's comments, with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Pravin Togadia even describing Advani as a 'traitor', forcing the latter to resign as BJP president.
The BJP has tried all means to make him retract, but so far Advani has not shown any sign of relenting, nor has he shown any willingness to withdraw his comments. With other BJP leaders like Jaswant Singh and the Telugu Desam's Chandrababu Naidu backing him on Jinnah, the issue is far from over.
Through it all is the man who, before he found his calling in a seperate homeland for Muslims, was part of India's freedom movement and whose speech to his fledgeling country's Constituent Assembly in 1948 does not find mention in his country's web site.
Do you think Jinnah was secular, or was Advani wrong? Tell us what you think.
