BJP expels Jaswant Singh for praising Jinnah

SHIMLA : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday expelled senior leader Jaswant Singh from the party, in the wake of him praising Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his recent book. The BJP top brass took the decision to sack Jaswant Singh at the party’s chintan baithak (introspection meeting) being held in Shimla. The development came even as Jaswant Singh stayed away from the opening session of the three-day meeting which began here today. The BJP had yesterday distanced itself from Jaswant Singh’s remarks on Jinnah in his new book, "Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence", with party president Rajnath Singh saying that his views were against party’s ideology. Stating that the book did not represent the views of the party, Rajnath said that the BJP completely disassociates itself from the book. He further said Jinnah’s role in partition was well known and “we cannot wish way this painful part of our history”. Rajnath also took exception to Jaswant’s comments on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and said that he played an important role in the unification of India. In his book, Jaswant recalls the events leading to partition as well as the "epic journey of Jinnah from being the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, the liberal constitutionalist and Indian nationalist to the Quaid-e-Azam of Pakistan”. In the book, Jaswant remarked that Mohammed Ali Jinnah did not win Pakistan as Congress leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel "conceded" Pakistan to the Quaid-e-Azam with the British acting as an ever helpful midwife. The remarks did not go down well with the BJP and it was evident by the fact that no BJP leader on Monday showed up at a function in which Jaswant Singh's book was released.
Like Jaswant Singh, senior party leader LK Advani too had praised Jinnah in 2005 which drew criticism from within BJP and the Sangh Parivar, including the RSS.
When asked if RSS agreed with Singh's view that Jinnah has been "demonised" in India, RSS leader Ram Madhav said, "I have only read excerpts of the book. But I am constrained to say that it is far from the truth to state that Jinnah was not responsible for partition."
Jaswant Singh had however said that his book was purely an academic exercise and not an attempt to malign or glorify anyone.