Carrying the ‘Jinnah’ bogey,Jaswant getting more isolated

Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh found himself increasingly isolated within the party which openly dissociated itself from his book.

After triggering a firestorm for praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah,senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh today found himself increasingly isolated within the party which openly dissociated itself from his book and was also in the crosshair of the Sangh Parivar and key ally Shiv Sena.

But an unfazed Jaswant stood his ground saying,”It (book) is not meant or intended to malign anybody. It should be seen purely as an academic pursuit.”

The BJP’s unambiguous response to the controversial book came from party president Rajnath Singh who said the “painful” part of history where Jinnah played an “important role” in the division of India cannot be wished away.

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“Views expressed by Jaswant Singh in his book ‘Jinnah — India,Partition,Independence’ does not represent views of the party. In fact,the party completely dissociates itself from the contents of the book,” Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

In his book,Jaswant has held Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for the partition of India and that Jinnah has been “demonised” in India.

Another party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi said Jaswant’s portrayal of Jinnah was based on all “wrong facts.” He also said “Mr Jinnah might be an idol,an icon for the Pakistanis,but he can never be an ideal or an icon for us Indians.”

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray led the party’s offensive against Jaswant when he flayed BJP leaders for heaping praise on Jinnah. “Calling the Pakistan founder secular was an insult to all those who shed their blood for India’s independence.”

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“(L K) Advani created an ideological confusion by lauding Jinnah. Jaswant Singh has added to it,” Thackeray said in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana.’ RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said his outfit “totally disagreed” with Jaswant’s formulation on Jinnah and there is no way the country can “absolve” the Pakistani founder of his role in partition.

“There are many points which we don’t accept,particularly about the partition of India and that Jinnah is not to be blamed for Pakistan,” Madhav said.

“We think that Jinnah played a decisive role,there were other factors too but there is no way we can absolve Jinnah. We totally disagree with that,” he added.

Echoing Bal Thackeray’s views,Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut said “we consider Jinnah to be the biggest villain of this country. He broke the country apart…If any leader of this country showers praise on him,we think it is an insult to the whole nation.”

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Senior BJP leader and former party president Venkaiah Naidu said the party doesn’t agree with many aspects in Jaswant’s book.

Rajnath Singh also took objection to ridiculing of Sardar Vallabhai Patel by Jaswant Singh,saying the first Home Minister played a historic role in unification and consolidation of India amidst serious threats to its unity and integrity.

Bihar Chief Minister leader of another BJP ally JD-U Nitish Kumar refused to comment on the controversy surrounding Jaswant’s book.

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