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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Senior Indian politician expelled | Senior Indian politician expelled |
| (about 10 hours later) | |
| A senior leader of India's Hindu nationalist main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been expelled from the party. | A senior leader of India's Hindu nationalist main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been expelled from the party. |
| Jaswant Singh's expulsion was announced by the party during a meeting. | Jaswant Singh's expulsion was announced by the party during a meeting. |
| This comes a day after the BJP "dissociated" itself from a new book on Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, written by Mr Singh. | This comes a day after the BJP "dissociated" itself from a new book on Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, written by Mr Singh. |
| Mr Singh had praised Mr Jinnah in the book and said the latter has been "demonised in India". | Mr Singh had praised Mr Jinnah in the book and said the latter has been "demonised in India". |
| Mr Jinnah is a controversial figure in India and considered the architect of the partition. | Mr Jinnah is a controversial figure in India and considered the architect of the partition. |
| Jaswant Singh, a 71-year-old party veteran who has served as finance and external affairs minister in BJP cabinets, has said he was "saddened" by his expulsion. | Jaswant Singh, a 71-year-old party veteran who has served as finance and external affairs minister in BJP cabinets, has said he was "saddened" by his expulsion. |
| "I am sad because I was among the first lot of members of the BJP. I have served the party to the best of my dedication for the past 30 years," he told reporters. | "I am sad because I was among the first lot of members of the BJP. I have served the party to the best of my dedication for the past 30 years," he told reporters. |
| "It saddens me even more than I have been expelled on grounds of writing a book." | "It saddens me even more than I have been expelled on grounds of writing a book." |
| BJP president Rajnath Singh said the party leadership had decided to expel Jaswant Singh. | BJP president Rajnath Singh said the party leadership had decided to expel Jaswant Singh. |
| "I had issued a statement yesterday that the party fully dissociates itself from the contents of the book. Today, I put up the matter before the party's parliamentary board which decided to end his [Mr Jaswant Singh] primary membership," party President Rajnath Singh told reporters. | "I had issued a statement yesterday that the party fully dissociates itself from the contents of the book. Today, I put up the matter before the party's parliamentary board which decided to end his [Mr Jaswant Singh] primary membership," party President Rajnath Singh told reporters. |
| "So he has been expelled. From now inwards he will not be a member of any body of the party or be an office bearer," he said. | "So he has been expelled. From now inwards he will not be a member of any body of the party or be an office bearer," he said. |
| Confusion | Confusion |
| While disowning Mr Singh's book on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh said that Mr Jinnah had played an important role in the "division of India which led to a lot of dislocation and destabilisation of millions of people". | While disowning Mr Singh's book on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh said that Mr Jinnah had played an important role in the "division of India which led to a lot of dislocation and destabilisation of millions of people". |
| Jaswant Singh has said that his book is a "purely academic exercise, which should be read and understood". | Jaswant Singh has said that his book is a "purely academic exercise, which should be read and understood". |
| "Why should I regret [my] five years of rigour [of writing the book]? [The book] is my reading of the painful period [the 1947 partition of India] of history," he said on Wednesday. | "Why should I regret [my] five years of rigour [of writing the book]? [The book] is my reading of the painful period [the 1947 partition of India] of history," he said on Wednesday. |
| Why the Hindu right love Jinnah class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8210545.stm"> Opposition in disarray | |
| Though the book on Mr Jinnah may have been the immediate provocation, a section of the party leadership has been unhappy with Mr Singh's recent utterances about the BJP, the BBC's Soutik Biswas in Delhi says. | Though the book on Mr Jinnah may have been the immediate provocation, a section of the party leadership has been unhappy with Mr Singh's recent utterances about the BJP, the BBC's Soutik Biswas in Delhi says. |
| The former foreign minister said in a TV interview that the BJP "cannot be a party of yesterday" and that there was a need for greater "clarity" of its ideology. | The former foreign minister said in a TV interview that the BJP "cannot be a party of yesterday" and that there was a need for greater "clarity" of its ideology. |
| Despite attempts to play it down, the BJP is haunted by its Hindu nationalist past. | Despite attempts to play it down, the BJP is haunted by its Hindu nationalist past. |
| Our correspondent says questions will now be asked to why senior party leader LK Advani was not similarly punished after he openly described Mr Jinnah as "secular" after a visit to Pakistan in 2005. | Our correspondent says questions will now be asked to why senior party leader LK Advani was not similarly punished after he openly described Mr Jinnah as "secular" after a visit to Pakistan in 2005. |
| Mr Singh's expulsion was announced as the BJP begun a three-day meeting to review the state of the party. | Mr Singh's expulsion was announced as the BJP begun a three-day meeting to review the state of the party. |
| The party has been plagued by in-fighting and a crisis of leadership after it lost the 2009 general elections. | The party has been plagued by in-fighting and a crisis of leadership after it lost the 2009 general elections. |
| It is still India's second largest party - it has 116 seats to Congress's 206 in the parliament. | It is still India's second largest party - it has 116 seats to Congress's 206 in the parliament. |
| The review meeting is an annual affair, but recent developments make this year's event much more important. | The review meeting is an annual affair, but recent developments make this year's event much more important. |
| Two party lawmakers from the northern state of Rajasthan were suspended on Tuesday for openly supporting former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia in defiance of the party's high command. | Two party lawmakers from the northern state of Rajasthan were suspended on Tuesday for openly supporting former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia in defiance of the party's high command. |
| It wanted her to go as leader of the party's Rajasthan state unit after its indifferent performance in the elections. | It wanted her to go as leader of the party's Rajasthan state unit after its indifferent performance in the elections. |
| A senior leader of the party's ideological fountainhead, the RSS, has said it preferred a younger leadership to take charge of the party - Mr Advani is 81. | A senior leader of the party's ideological fountainhead, the RSS, has said it preferred a younger leadership to take charge of the party - Mr Advani is 81. |