Thaindian News

Shimla, Aug 19 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Jaswant Singh’s expulsion from the party has to do with more than just his controversial book on the subcontinent’s partition, a senior BJP national leader said Wednesday night.
“The writing of the book was not the only, but one of the several reasons, for his expulsion by the party,” the party leader told IANS here on condition of anonymity.

The BJP earlier in the day expelled Singh from the primary membership of the party. The move came two days after the release of his book, “Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence”.

BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters here that the party’s parliamentary board decided to expel the former external affairs minister from the primary membership of the party.

He too indicated that Jaswant Singh’s criticism of the party after the parliamentary poll debacle was also among the issues that led to his expulsion.

In June, Jaswant Singh stated at the party’s core group meeting at the residence of party veteran L.K. Advani that there should be a connect between ‘parinaam aur puraskar’ (results and rewards) in the aftermath of the party’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

His reference was to Arun Jaitley who was the chief poll manager for the party and was later made the leader of the opposition in the upper house of parliament, a post which Singh held before being elected to the Lok Sabha.

Regarding assertions by Jaswant Singh after his expulsion, the BJP leader, who participated in the ‘chintan baithak’ here, said: “His reaction was dignified.”

On speculations regarding the party taking action against more leaders including former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje for indiscipline, he said: “There will be no more such action.”

Jaswant Singh in his press conference said the book was the main reason for his expulsion.

“I am worried and sad that just one book has led to my expulsion,” he said.