The crude manner in which Jaswant Singh was expelled reflects the tightening grip of the RSS over the BJP, which does not augur well for the future of a party which positions itself as a mainstream, national alternative to the Congress. The credibility of the BJP has been severely dented because its leadership has of late turned increasingly towards the RSS for guidance or to curry favour.

Jaswant Singh's summary expulsion is just the latest example of poor judgment shown by the BJP leadership. There should surely have been more important issues on the agenda of the Chintan Baithak at Shimla than Jaswant Singh's book. True, Singh's views on Jinnah, Sardar Patel and the status of Muslims in India is at variance with the party's long standing ideology but the BJP could have dealt effectively with a leader of such longstanding as Singh by adopting a more civilized, sane and sensitive approach. The abrupt manner in which the party came down like a ton of bricks on a shell shocked and teary eyed Jaswant Singh sent out the message that the BJP is intellectually intolerant, obscurantist and out of tune with the times.

For most of today's generation a discussion on partition is an academic exercise which cannot really arouse strong passions. It is only the RSS and a section of the BJP leadership, stuck in a time warp, which feels the need to keep reverting back to the issue of Jinnah, Nehru, Sardar Patel and partition and apportioning blame.

... contd.