New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh Sunday accused the party of having "lost sight of its vision and frittered away its virtue for temporary political gain".
Reacting to his expulsion, Jaswant Singh said he was "deeply saddened" over his sacking and said today's BJP was not the party its leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani had aspired it to be.
"I am saddened to find that the BJP of today is not the party that Vajpayee, Advani and B.S. Shekhawat had envisioned and aspired it to be," he said in a statement.
"A party that cannot afford its most loyal adherents even the very basic courtesies, puts the petty whims of individuals before the greater good of the people, has certainly lost sight of its vision and frittered away its virtue for temporary political gain," he said.
"Towards what end, only time can tell," the former external affairs minister added.
Jaswant Singh has filed his nomination as an independent candidate from Barmer in Rajasthan after being denied the Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha ticket. The BJP has since expelled him.
He said in a statement that it was wrong have given the Barmer ticket to a Congress leader who joined the BJP recently and to cite caste equations to say that Jaswant Singh may not win from Barmer.
"It is destructive to promote such divisions in society, particularly in a border region which has otherwise lived in communal harmony for centuries," he said.
But if the BJP did want someone else to contest from Barmer, why was not a candidate picked from within the BJP, he asked.
Jaswant Singh said that as the BJP decision to field a Congress defector "lacks transparency, honesty and courtesy of appropriate communication, I am obliged to question the decision".
Jaswant Singh said what was at stake in the BJP "are some vital principles of conduct in public life ... truth and commitment, probity and accountability and a true and visible balance between values, means and ends.
"The election in Barmer-Jaisalmer constituency very sadly exemplifies how these values are being perverted, indeed almost destroyed," he said.
The series of G-20 meetings under the chairmanship of India has started. Heads of the world's top
Dejected rape victim takes poison at Akhilesh's rally
Lucknow, April 9 (IANS) A rape victim, tormented because her attackers have not been arrested d
Delhi polls not a referendum on Modi: Amit Shah
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) BJP president Amit Shah Thursday said the Feb 7polls to the Delhi assem
Uttarakhand tightens the dragon, now Chinese companies will not get any tender in the state
Companies from neighboring countries, including China, will no longer participate in the global t
In the second wave of the corona, the most problematic breath is that of oxygen. Patients are dyi
In the biting cold, five-year-old 'Child Ram' continued giving darshan to the devotees for 18 hou
Undeterred Mooney's sole focus on beating Pakistan
Adelaide, March 12 (IANS) Ireland's pacer John Mooney on
The cold winds coming from the hilly areas have spoiled the climate of the capital Delhi. Accordi
Swine flu kills over 400 this year
New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Swine flu has claimed the lives of 407 people across India this year, t
New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) In what is being described as a "courtesy call", Bihar Chief Ministe
