Jaswant’s latest: LK unfit to serve country

Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh seems to have decided to pin the blame for all possible sins on leader of the opposition LK Advani. In an interview to a national news magazine, Singh blamed Advani for encouraging the cash-for-votes episode in Parliament last year and the loss of BSF lives in a Bangladesh operation during the Kargil war, among other things.

In the Kandahar episode, Advani’s bid to distance himself from the NDA government’s decision to release three terrorists in exchange for the Indian Airlines hostages has already dented his credibility. Jaswant Singh has now gone all out to destroy whatever is left of Advani’s reputation, including the latter’s praise of Jinnah in a 2005 visit to Pakistan.

Singh said his reasons for writing on Jinnah were very different from Advani’s when he spoke favourably about the founder of Pakistan. “Advani thought that by saying what he did about Jinnah, he would make amends for Ayodhya. It weighs heavily on him. It’s a millstone in legal, personal and political terms,” Singh said.

In what can only be called a vituperative attack on Advani, who was till recently his party boss, Singh said: “Advani is not fit to serve the interests of the country. There are numerous examples of how on occasions where he is likely to come under fire, he either keeps quiet or transfers responsibility on to others.”  

The BJP expressed surprise at Jaswant Singh’s charges. “Till yesterday, Advani was the best leader. People who change their opinions about their leader in a day need not be commented upon,” said a BJP spokesperson.

In his interview to Outlook magazine, Jaswant Singh accused Advani of asking party MPs to display money in parliament during the cash-for-votes scam. “The facts are clear. I was appalled that Advaniji was giving MPs the go-ahead to display money in parliament.  Advaniji said they had two choices. They could take money to the speaker or into the house. But he told the MPs to display money in parliament,” Jaswant Singh said.

In the cash-for-votes scam, three BJP MPs produced wads of currency notes in parliament claiming they were being bribed to ensure the victory of the UPA in the confidence vote.” The whole operation was apparently a sting operation, but the video footage was not played on national television.

The BJP immediately rubbished Singh’s accusation. “This charge is absolutely and totally false. The sting operation was conducted by CNN-IBN channel. Our brave MPs only cooperated with it. The party had no other role in it,” said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar

Singh’s no-holds-barred attack on Advani comes a day after Brajesh Mishra, the national security advisor in the Vajpayee government, confirmed that the former home minister and deputy prime minister was very much aware of the party’s decision to send Jaswant Singh to Kandahar along with the freed terrorists.

Mishra’s assertion was immediately supported by former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, who was one of the five members of the cabinet committee on security which took the decision.

Singh’s salvo contains several other charges as well. The former external affairs minister has accused Advani of ordering the BSF into Bangladesh during the time of the Kargil war, and of misusing the party for his book releases.

“Who ordered the BSF into Bangladesh? Is the BSF not under the home ministry?” he asked. In that incursion, the Bangladesh Rifles killed some BSF men when they entered that country.

Jaswant Singh has also charged Advani of being possessed by an all-consuming passion to become prime minister of the country. “He is consumed by the ambition to become PM and that makes him commit so many mistakes. I pity him,” said Singh, driving the nail into Advani’s credibility.