Jaswant Singh expelled from BJP

Jaswant Singh, whose book eulogising Mohammed Ali Jinnah has come under attack from the Indian BJP and the sangh parivar, was on Wednesday expelled from the BJP. The decision to expel Mr. Singh, a Lok Sabha member and a former Union Minister, was taken at the Parliamentary Board of the party which met here during the opening session of the three-day brainstorming session of the top leaders here. The BJP president Rajnath Singh, who had on Tuesday issued a statement totally distancing the party from Mr. Jaswant Singhs book Jinnah -- India, Partition, Independence, announced the decision to the media here. I had issued a statement yesterday that the party fully dissociates itself from the contents of the book. Today I put up the matter before the Parliamentary Board which decided to end his primary membership. So he has been expelled. From now onwards he will not be a member of any body of the party or be an office bearer, he said on the expulsion of the 71-year-old party veteran. Mr. Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday he had told Mr. Jaswant Singh not to come to Shimla for participating in the 'chintan baithak. Mr. Jaswant Singh has been having an uneasy relationship with the party leadership on its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, on which he had circulated a note demanding a thorough discussion.

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