BJP defends Jaswant's sacking

BJP has said that senior leader Jaswant Singh's sacking "was unpleasant but needed". This was recounted by BJP leader Sushma Swaraj at the close of the three-day Chintan Baithak in Shimla on Friday.

Addressing the media, Swaraj referred the address of L K Advani. She said Advani regarded Jaswant's sacking as "necessary". Jaswant tried to denigrate Sardar Patel, Advani said in his speech at Chintan Baithak. He criticised Jaswant for writing in his book that Sardar Patel banned the RSS.

"For someone who was with us for 30 years it was a difficult decision. What he wrote was against the party policy. Patel was Home Minister of the country for three-and-half years and brought more than 700 principalities into the Indian union. He was no ordinary man and Jaswant tried to denigrate him." Advani said in his valedictory address at the concluding day of  'Chintan Baitak'.

Sardar Patel banned RSS under pressure from Jawaharlal Nehru. After a month he wrote to Nehru saying that there is no evidence against the RSS. Jaswant is saying only half of what had happened and not the other half, Advani added.

Earlier, on the second day of the meet in Shimla, party leader Arun Jaitely addressed the media to explain why Jaswant Singh was sacked.

The decision was made by the BJP's parliamentary board committee, asserted Jaitley. The reason: Jaswant Singh's book violates the core values of the BJP on two major fronts. Firstly, Singh writes that Jinnah was demonized by India, a view unacceptable to the BJP. Singh's criticism of Sardar Patel also directly violates the party's beliefs.

Advani conceded that internal bickering in the party has sullied its image and has led to demoralisation among party men.

He said, "We now have an image of infighting, which has led to demoralization of party workers. We will solve things by talking, which is the strength of the BJP."

Elaborating on the issue of internal democracy, he said that other parties are one-man party and gave the examples of Mayawati, Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sonia Gandhi.  There were no discussions in parties headed by these people, whatsoever they may claim.