We don't agree with Jaswant's book, says BJP

The controversy within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over former foreign minister Jaswant Singh's new book on Jinnah's role in the Partition seems to have intensified.

The BJP has now openly disowned the book, saying it is not right to justify Jinnah's role. This comes even as Jaswant Singh justified his version of the 1947 Partition.

The BJP says it does not stand by Jaswant Singh's new book, Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence, released on Monday.

In the book, Jaswant Singh says Jinnah did not win Pakistan, and blames  Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru for "conceding Pakistan".

On Tuesday, Rajnath Singh issued a formal statement that says, "The book authored by Jaswant Singh does not represent the views of the BJP. In fact, the party completely disassociates itself from the contents of the book . The important role of Jinnah in the division of India which lead to a lot of dislocation and destabilisation of millions of people is well-known.

"My book is not an attempt to malign or glorify anyone. It's a purely academic exercise, which should be read and understood," Jaswant had told NDTV.

In his book, Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence, Jaswant has packaged Jinnah as an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity.

In the book, Jawaharlal Nehru is "one of the principal architects, in reality the draftsman of India's partition". But perhaps the most telling line comes in the end "Jinnah did not win Pakistan as the Congress leaders Nehru and Patel -- finally conceded Pakistan to Jinnah, with the British acting as a helpful midwife".