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Calling his expulsion from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a result of "blatant disguising of facts and confusion between values, norms and unacceptable short-cuts", expelled party veteran Jaswant Singh on Sunday said the world was full of graveyards of those who were considered indispensable to the nation.
In a subtle reference to BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's style of functioning, Singh added that no political party should become the handmaiden of a single individual.
Singh was expelled from the party for six years for refusing to withdraw his nomination as an Independent from the Barmer constituency in Rajasthan.
Blaming the conduct of BJP president Rajnath Singh, he said he had cautioned the party about his presidency saying the party would be a victim of this decision. Singh said he was deeply 'wounded' by the BJP's decision to not let him contest from Barmer despite his plea that he wanted to serve his motherland in what could be his last term in the Lok Sabha.
His tone had a ring of similarity with L K Advani when the question of naming Modi first as chairman of the campaign committee and then as the party's PM candidate came up. In a short and terse letter to Rajnath Singh, Advani had said he had been disappointed in Singh's conduct as party president.
Talking to Business Standard on the telephone from Jaisalmer, Singh said it was not just the vyakti-pooja (individual worship) that the party had fallen prey to. It was also practical politics. He just didn't understand the decision to give Col Sonaram, who joined the BJP a few days ago from the Congress, the seat.
"The seat was not decided on 19 (March). I asked Rajnathji what the matter was and he said he would let me know by the next day. On March 20, when I asked him again on the phone, he said: 'No, you are not the candidate from Barmer.' I was very wounded."
He explained that for years, BJP workers had been engaged in attacking Sonaram. Now in just a matter of a few days, he had become a candidate, leaving party workers confused and disoriented. Singh appeared to be taking a book out of the Aam Aadmi Party and said if he wins, he will return to the electorate and ask them what to do - support BJP, stay Independent or support a third formation.
"When I win this election, if the question of any other political affiliation arises, I will come back to this land and its people and ask them what they want me to do as they would have sent me to Parliament," he said.
Singh said he had conveyed his wish of contesting from Barmer to his colleagues in Parliament, including Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Venkaiah Naidu, after which a response was sought from local party office bearers and MLAs - all of whom favoured his candidature.
He said Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had not said the entire truth when she told the party that the local MLAs did not favour Singh. He added it was her personal decision to prevent him from contesting; but it was extrapolated and reported as the opinion of the constituency's seven MLAs, one of whom happens to be Singh's son.
Notably, Singh was expelled in 2009 as well when Rajnath was BJP president. "My expulsion was never explained to me. Even later, when I had the occasion to ask (Rajnath) and others, none of them gave an answer. (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah had nothing to do with it. The book was banned in Gujarat on account of my saying that Patel had supported the partition. So, what is the point of the great saying by Tagore 'Where the head is held high and mind is without fear'," he asked.
