"Advani selflessly dedicated towards public service": Hardeep Singh Puri after meeting BJP leader

New Delhi [India], June 22 : Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, along with his wife Lakshmi M Puri visited the residence of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani and sought his blessings.
Taking to his official X handle, Hardeep Singh Puri posted, "Sought the blessings of political stalwart, nationalist icon, mentor and guide to many, Bharat Ratna LK Advani at his residence today."
He added further, "Lakshmi and I have had the good fortune of knowing him for nearly five decades even as we witnessed his exemplary dedication towards Bharat and contribution towards furthering our nation's unity and cultural resurgence in the decades he has selflessly dedicated towards public service."
Born in Karachi (present-day Pakistan) on November 8, 1927, Advani joined the RSS as a Swayamsevak in 1942. He served as the BJP National President from 1986 to 1990, then from 1993 to 1998 and from 2004 to 2005. Advani had served as the President of the party for the longest period since its inception in 1980.
Capping a parliamentary career of nearly three decades, LK Advani was first the Home Minister and, later, the Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004).
In the run-up to the 2009 elections, Advani being the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy was assumingly considered the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate for the general elections, ending on 16 May 2009, according to the official website of BJP.
On 10 December 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced Advani as its prime ministerial candidate for the general elections due in 2009. But when Congress and its allies won the 2009 general elections, Advani paved the way for Sushma Swaraj to become the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha.