Lalu Yadav's Birthday Wish for Advani Also Has Advice For a certain 'Hostile Disciple'

New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has made a name for himself as a consummate Twitter user, regularly taking jibes at prominent personalities from the highest echelons of Indian politics.

On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani was observing his 90th birthday without much pomp and show. Lalu took to Twitter and wished Advani, whose rath yatra he had famously halted in 1990 when he reached Bihar.

But Wednesday's tweet had nothing to do with that famous episode that occurred in 1990 when the Ram Temple movement was at its zenith.

"Warm Birthday greetings to Advani Ji! Never mind if any disciple turns hostile. May God bless you more cheerful, healthy, long & successful life ahead!" Lalu wrote.

The "hostile disciple" Lalu alluded to was perhaps Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was encouraged to push the envelope once by none other than Advani himself. However, in 2014, with age against the senior leader, Modi and his trusted aide Amit Shah seized control of the party that Advani built from scratch.

The 90-year-old leader, along with several seniors - Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha, and Jaswant Singh - has slowly retreated to a marginalised position in the party. Jaswant was expelled from the party, for he was obdurate about contesting election from Barmer constituency in Rajasthan.

Joshi, Advani, and Sinha were made the members of "margdarshak mandal", the guiding group of the ruling party after the BJP swept to power under the leadership of Modi.

Advani's one-time mentee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wished him on Twitter, calling him a "political stalwart".

"A leader who has distinguished himself through hardwork and dedication towards our nation," Modi added.